IMMOKALEE- Single father, Nicolas Morales Besanilla, age 37, was killed when he was shot three times in the abdomen by Corporal Pierre Jean of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 17, 2020.

At the same time Morales Besanilla was shot, a K-9 was also released. The altercation lasted less than 25 seconds. Morales Besanilla was transported to Naples Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He left behind a 13-year-old son. 

The Lee County NAACP, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), and other community leaders have stood alongside Morales Besanilla’s family during multiple press conferences and vigils, as they demand justice and accountability for what they say was a preventable death.

The family’s attorney, Brent Probinksky said the body cam footage is hard to watch, “He’s lying on the ground with four gunshots. They let a K9 dog go on top of him and start ripping up his shoulder while he’s still laying on the ground.”

“There was no justifiable use of deadly force,” Probinsky added.

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers explained, “Since we first called for transparency and accountability for the killing of Nicolas Morales, we’ve heard from people across the country who are outraged at his horrific death at the hands of Collier County Sheriff’s deputies. Our community has welcomed a chorus of allied voices, from faith leaders, to civil rights advocates, to student and youth leaders. But the one voice that hasn’t been truly heard until now — in many ways the single most important voice — is that of his young son, Nicolas Morales Jr., who was sleeping in his bed only yards away from the pavement where his father lay dying that fateful night in September.”

Recently, the CIW shared a letter, written by Nicolas, Jr., transcribed below in full:

“Dear Immokalee Coalition,

I am thankful for all the staff at the coalition for pursuing #Justice4NicolasMorales /my dad. I hope we are able to get answers. Thank you for bringing awareness to my dad’s story. I hope thru protest we can demand the Collier County Sheriff’s Office get held accountable for their actions. I want the Collier County Sheriff’s Office to know [how] I feel about the situation. Ever since that day I have been sad, lonely, angry, and grieving the loss of my dad. There is not one day I don’t think about him and wish things could’ve been done differently to still have my dad here. I can’t sleep, I can’t think right, and I get bad flashbacks [when I] think about that night. It has torn my life apart.

Not only has it affected me, it has affected my whole family and people who knew my dad for who he was. The police cannot get away with what they have done. Enough is enough. I demand justice for my dad. I want them to know that this is unacceptable. They cannot keep getting away with this. Again, I am forever grateful for all that is being done to keep my dad’s name alive.

By Nicolas Morales, Jr.”

“The grief of this 13-year-old child, suddenly an orphan after the loss of his mother from cancer years ago, is profound.  His desperate plea to hold on to his father’s memory and bring him justice is nothing short of a clarion call.  We invite you to hold his words in your heart as you join us in the pursuit of #JusticeForNicolas,” the CIW shared.

The CIW and surrounding community is asking for a federal investigation by the Department of Justice into Nicolas’s fatal shooting and mauling. They are also asking for real implementation of crisis response teams and the establishment of an Immokalee-specific citizens review panel with meaningful powers.