Immokalee community wants Collier County Deputies held responsible for death of Nicolas Morales

People in Immokalee are calling one everyone in Southwest Florida to hold the Collier County Sheriff’s deputies who were responsible for the death of Nicholas Morales.

Gerardo Reyes Chaves is with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. “The police should serve and protect, not shoot us. Understand us, yes. Get closer to us, to our community,” Reyes said.

The State Attorney’s Office cleared both of the Collier County deputies involved in the shooting.

The sheriff’s office released the dashcam video from that night. The Attorney for Nicholas Morales’ family the dashcam video released last week confirmed their fears.

Brent Probinksy is the family’s attorney.

“What we saw is, by the Collier County Sheriff’s Office is poor training, a lack of concern for human life, incompetence, brutality, and indifference,” he said.

But, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers says the fight for answers, justice and transparency is far from over.

Now, they are demanding a federal investigation. Also, they’re hoping that the sheriff’s office implements a mental health crisis response team and an Immokalee-specific citizens’ review panel to prevent other deaths caused by deputies.

“We need to be able to live in peace and work in peace and be protected instead of living in fear,” Reyes Chaves said.

The Lee County NAACP is requesting that the Collier County Sheriff’s release all of the videos and audio recordings from that night. And, that the State Attorney’s Office reports be released as well.

James Buchanan is the Second Vice President of the Lee County NAACP. “That’s why we are here. To make sure everybody feels comfortable in Southwest Florida knowing that somebody here that is going to fight for their civil rights,” Buchanan said.

They hope justice will be served.

WINK News has reached out to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office about the demands from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and The Lee County NAACP but we have not yet heard back.

The Collier County Sheriff’s Office is now conducting an internal investigation.