Family of Immokalee man shot, killed by deputy raising money for burial, support for son

The family of a man shot and killed by a sheriff’s office deputy in Immokalee is raising money for a burial in Mexico, according to the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.  

Nicholas Morales-Bessannia, 37, was shot by a deputy around 1:15 a.m. Sept. 17 outside a home in the Farm Workers Village neighborhood in Immokalee.   

Three Collier County Sheriff’s Office deputies were first dispatched to the scene after a woman called 911 because a man was outside her home on Edenfield Way with a shovel trying to get inside, according to audio of a 911 call released by the sheriff’s office.    

Morales-Bessannia was “charging toward” deputies with a weapon in his right hand raised before he was shot, according to the sheriff’s office.   

In statement released Monday, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers called the man’s death “shocking and unnecessary.”  

Previous coverage:Sheriff's office releases additional information after Immokalee man shot and killed by deputy

More:Immokalee man shot and killed by Collier deputy was single father, longtime farm worker

More:911 call audio: Woman says man killed by Collier deputy tried to enter her Immokalee home

More:Collier County Sheriff's Office: Deputy shoots, kills Immokalee man who was holding a shovel

“We are working closely with Nicolas's family to seek justice, both for the family and for our community, and we are also finding ways to support the family's immediate needs, particularly those of Nicolas's son, in this difficult time,” the statement reads.  

The coalition in its statement linked to a GoFundMe page set up to help support the man’s son and to raise money so that Morales-Bessannia can be buried in his family’s home of Solluco, Mexico.  

By noon Monday, the fund had raised more than $7,500.

The deputy who shot Morales-Bessannia was placed on paid administrative leave while investigators conduct criminal and administrative probes, according to the sheriff’s office.   

Sheriff’s office deputies do not wear body cameras as the department is in the process of evaluating body camera options, said sheriff’s office spokesperson Karie Partington.   

A request for any dash camera footage of the shooting was previously denied because it is part of an active investigation, Partington said.