BREAKING: Immokalee farmworker Nicholas Morales shot and killed by Collier County Sheriff’s Office

“They didn’t kill an animal; they killed a human being… I want justice for this man and this young child that is left without a dad,” said Yola Martinez, close friend of Nicholas Morales, Immokalee farmworker shot and killed by Collier County Sheriff deputies…

CIW: “We must have a full investigation and justice for Nicholas and his family, as well as for the broader Immokalee community as a whole. And so that justice may be done, we demand to know the truth.”

Today, we are heart-broken to bring you what we know of a still-developing story from right here in Immokalee about the death of Nicholas Morales, a longtime farmworker in the Immokalee community who was shot and killed on September 17th by a deputy of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office:

STATEMENT FROM THE COALITION OF IMMOKALEE WORKERS ON THE DEATH OF NICHOLAS MORALES

Nicholas Morales, a single father, an Immokalee farmworker, and a longtime part of the CIW family, was shot to death by Collier County Sheriff deputies in the dead of night on Thursday, September 17th.

Even based solely on the version of events provided by the Sheriff’s Office — Nicholas was alone and is no longer with us, and so cannot provide his own recounting of events — we see no conceivable justification for his killing. According to the recording of the 911 call released by the Sheriff’s Office, a deputy fatally shot Nicholas mere seconds after arriving on the scene.

The officer claimed to fear for his life because Nicholas was carrying a shovel and an unidentified “sharp object” and was “advancing” toward the police officers. In other words, an officer entrusted with the power over life and death by the state, armed with lethal force and backed by several fellow officers, also armed, took mere seconds to analyze a fluid situation and determine that a lone man posed such a threat that he had no choice but to take his life.

Immokalee will not stand for unconscionable acts of violence in our community. Nicholas’ death has left a young boy without a father, and the way his life was taken will instill fear in our neighbors for years to come. We must have a full investigation and justice for Nicholas and his family, as well as for the broader Immokalee community as a whole. And so that justice may be done, we demand to know the truth.

The Sheriff’s Office must produce a complete accounting of what occurred in the seconds between the deputies’ arrival, and the shooting of Nicholas Morales. We, the Immokalee community, must know exactly what the deputies said, and what they did. We call on the Sheriff’s Office to release any video footage or audio recordings of the event immediately, and to reveal the identify of the officers involved without further delay.

The day after Nicholas was killed, members of Nicholas’s family and community gathered to hold a vigil around the blood-stained pavement where he was shot on early Thursday morning. Here are just a few photos from the moving evening, raw with the sudden loss of a man who had worked hard to raise his son by himself, who had harvested food for the tables of families across the nation, who had been deeply loved by his extended family and friends, and who had been a part of the CIW family.

Fox 4, a cornerstone of local news coverage based in Fort Myers, interviewed friends and family of Morales:

Community left with questions following deadly deputy-involved shooting

An emotional outpouring Friday in Eastern in Collier County as loved ones gathered around a vigil for a man fatally shot during a deputy-involved shooting.

Community members say they are left with many questions on what exactly unfolded Thursday morning after a Collier County deputy fatally shot 37-year-old Nicholas Morales-Bessania.

An Immokalee farmworker and father of a 13-year-old boy.

“He was a peaceful man, a hard worker, who took care of his son, he was a widow,” said Yola Martinez, a close friend of Morales…

… Loved ones now calling on the sheriff’s office to release any video footage or audio recordings of the incident, and are demanding a thorough investigation.

“They didn’t kill an animal; they killed a human being,” said Martinez. “I want justice for this man and this young child that is left without a dad.”

The vigil was both opened and brought to a somber close by community pillar and Presbyterian pastor, Rev. Miguel Estrada, who had these words to share as captured by WGCU’s Andrea Perdomo:

Vigil Held For Immokalee Man Fatally Shot by Collier Sheriff’s Office Deputy

“[It’s] not the first time that something happens that is really bad regarding members of this community with relations with the police,” [Miguel] Estrada said…“The problem is that it sounds like the details on their report, the official report that they submitted, doesn’t match with what some of the witnesses around this community are telling about it,” Estrada said.

“And even if [the CCSO report] is the case, when you hear the call the 911 recording, things happen just too soon. If I remember well, it’s 23 seconds after [CCSO deputies] arrived, you hear the shooting.”

Pastor Miguel’s words underscore what must come next: We need answers to the many questions that are still lingering about Nicholas’s killing. In the days ahead, the Sheriff’s Office must produce a complete accounting of what occurred in the mere seconds between the deputies’ arrival and when they shot Nicholas, they must allow the public to see any video footage or audio recordings of the event immediately, and they must reveal the identify of the officers involved without further delay.

We will leave you with the closing segment of WGCU’s story, capturing a final heart-rending song at the vigil shared by Nicholas’s friend, Yola:

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Coalition of Immokalee Workers

(239) 657 8311 | [email protected] | www.ciw-online.org