{"id":2493,"date":"2020-10-30T08:41:28","date_gmt":"2020-10-30T12:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/food-faith\/?p=2493"},"modified":"2021-01-28T20:40:49","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T01:40:49","slug":"deputy-involved-shooting-in-florida-raises-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/food-faith\/morales\/","title":{"rendered":"Deputy-involved shooting in Florida raises concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

PC(USA) calls for \u2018complete transparency\u2019 in Immokalee man\u2019s death<\/strong><\/h3>\n
By Darla Carter | Cross-post<\/a> from Presbyterian News Service\u00a0<\/em><\/h5>\n

LOUISVILLE \u2014 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined a chorus of concerned voices<\/a> calling for law enforcement officials to be more transparent about the deputy-involved shooting of a longtime member of a south Florida farming community last month.<\/p>\n

\"\"

There has been an outpouring of grief and concern since the fatal shooting of Nicolas Morales Besanilla on Sept. 17. Photo courtesy of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

A statement from the Church, calling for \u201ccomplete transparency\u201d in the death of Nicolas Morales Besanilla, 37, of Immokalee was released Wednesday in conjunction with a news conference<\/a> attended by relatives and concerned community members and groups in Florida.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn particular, we join in the call for the release of the autopsy results, all dashboard camera footage, and all audio and text communications from and to the deputies,\u201d declares the PC(USA) statement released in partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to a WINK News report<\/a>, Brent Probinsky, an attorney for the family, was among those who spoke at the news conference. He said the victim was shot three times, within 13 seconds of law enforcement\u2019s arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there justification for use of deadly force?\u201d Probinsky asked. \u201cWe have a man who\u2019s 5-foot-1-inch tall, Nicolas. He weighs 120 pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morales Besanilla was killed Sept. 17, when three deputies responded to a call from a woman reporting that a man with a shovel was banging on her door and demanding to be let inside, according to the Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One of the deputies shot Morales Besanilla and another released a dog on him after he allegedly ran toward the officers with a \u201craised weapon,\u201d also described as a \u201csharp, shiny object,\u201d which turned out to be a pair of landscaping shears, according to the office.<\/p>\n

The PC(USA) is concerned about inconsistencies in reports from the office and \u201cdiscrepancies about the manner in which Mr. Morales Besanilla approached the deputies,\u201d according to the Church\u2019s statement, which is signed by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, and the Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett, President and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency.<\/p>\n

The sheriff\u2019s office has said that it is conducting criminal and administrative investigations and that the criminal investigative file would be forwarded to the state attorney\u2019s office for independent review.<\/p>\n

Read the PC(USA)\u2019s full statement below<\/em> [English<\/a>] [Espa\u00f1ol<\/a>]<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>Statement from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Regarding the Death of Nicolas Morales Besanilla<\/h4>\n

Oct. 28, 2020<\/p>\n

On behalf of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), we send our deepest condolences to Nicolas Morales Besanilla\u2019s son, his extended family, and all who knew and loved him. We grieve the death, at the hands of sheriff\u2019s deputies, of Morales Besanilla, who we understand was the father of a 13-year-old son and a longtime Immokalee community member. Our denomination has a long-term and deep relationship with the farm workers of Immokalee, and we join them in mourning the loss of Morales Besanilla.<\/p>\n

Regarding this tragic loss of life, we wish to express our concern about the lack of transparency on the part of the Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office. The circumstances around the killing of Morales Besanilla, along with troubling inconsistencies in the three reports we\u2019ve seen from the sheriff\u2019s office, make even more critical the full disclosure of the details surrounding this incident. We echo the community\u2019s call for complete transparency. In particular, we join in the call for the release of the autopsy results, all dashboard camera footage, and all audio and text communications from and to the deputies.<\/p>\n

Having read the three reports from the sheriff\u2019s office, two from Sept. 17 and one from Sept. 22, it is hard to imagine why deputies with firearms and accompanied by an attack dog, in the space of 13 seconds, would feel the need to shoot a single individual coming at them with a garden tool.<\/p>\n

The inconsistencies in the reports are also very concerning. In the first report, there was a single shovel; a sharp object was added in the second report. Then five days later, a new report identified the sharp object as landscaping shears. Equally troubling, the reports reveal serious discrepancies about the manner in which Morales Besanilla approached the deputies.<\/p>\n

We ask the Collier County Sheriff\u2019s Office for complete transparency and for the release of all the above requested items, which would begin to demonstrate the goodwill of the office. The family of Morales Besanilla and the community \u2014 and all of us \u2014 need to know that Morales Besanilla\u2019s death will be investigated fairly and fully. Finally, we hope this terrible incident will spur changes in the policies and practices of the sheriff\u2019s office to ensure greater accountability and to help prevent similar tragedies in the future.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
\nStated Clerk of the General Assembly
\nPresbyterian Church (U.S.A.)<\/p>\n

The Rev. Dr. Diane Moffett
\nPresident and Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency<\/p>\n

\n

<\/a>Declaraci\u00f3n de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (EE.UU.) sobre la muerte de Nicolas Morales Besanilla<\/h4>\n

28 de octubre de 2020<\/p>\n

En nombre de la Iglesia Presbiteriana (EE.UU.), enviamos nuestras m\u00e1s profundas condolencias al hijo del Nicolas Morales Besanilla, a su familia extendida y a todos los que lo conocieron y lo amaron. Lamentamos la muerte, a manos de los ayudantes del sheriff, de Morales Besanilla, quien, seg\u00fan tenemos entendido, era el padre de un hijo de 13 a\u00f1os y un antiguo miembro de la comunidad de Immokalee. Nuestra denominaci\u00f3n tiene una larga y profunda relaci\u00f3n con los trabajadores agr\u00edcolas de Immokalee, y nos unimos a ellos en el duelo por la p\u00e9rdida del\u00a0 Morales Besanilla.<\/p>\n

En relaci\u00f3n con esta tr\u00e1gica p\u00e9rdida de vidas, queremos expresar nuestra preocupaci\u00f3n por la falta de transparencia de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Collier. Las circunstancias que rodean el asesinato de Morales Besanilla, junto con las preocupantes inconsistencias en los tres informes que hemos visto de la oficina del sheriff, hacen a\u00fan m\u00e1s cr\u00edtica la completa divulgaci\u00f3n de los detalles que rodean este incidente. Nos hacemos eco del llamamiento de la comunidad para una completa transparencia. En particular, nos unimos al llamamiento para la publicaci\u00f3n de los resultados de la autopsia, todas las im\u00e1genes de las c\u00e1maras del tablero y todas las comunicaciones de audio y texto desde y hacia los diputados.<\/p>\n

Habiendo le\u00eddo los tres informes de la oficina del sheriff, dos del 17 de septiembre y uno del 22 de septiembre, es dif\u00edcil imaginar por qu\u00e9 los diputados con armas de fuego y acompa\u00f1ados por un perro de ataque, en el espacio de 13 segundos, sentir\u00edan la necesidad de disparar a un solo individuo que se les acercara con una herramienta de jard\u00edn.<\/p>\n

Las inconsistencias en los informes son tambi\u00e9n muy preocupantes. En el primer informe, hab\u00eda una sola pala; en el segundo informe se a\u00f1adi\u00f3 un objeto punzante. Luego, cinco d\u00edas despu\u00e9s, un nuevo informe identific\u00f3 el objeto punzante como tijeras de jardiner\u00eda. Igualmente preocupante, los informes revelan serias discrepancias sobre la forma en que el Morales Besanilla se acerc\u00f3 a los diputados.<\/p>\n

Pedimos a la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Collier una completa transparencia y la liberaci\u00f3n de todos los art\u00edculos solicitados anteriormente, lo que comenzar\u00eda a demostrar la buena voluntad de la oficina. La familia del Morales Besanilla y la comunidad, y todos nosotros, necesitamos saber que la muerte de Morales Besanilla ser\u00e1 investigada de manera justa y completa. Por \u00faltimo, esperamos que este terrible incidente estimule cambios en las pol\u00edticas y pr\u00e1cticas de la oficina del sheriff para asegurar una mayor responsabilidad y ayudar a prevenir tragedias similares en el futuro.<\/p>\n

El Reverendo Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II
\nSecretario de la Asamblea General
\nIglesia Presbiteriana (EE.UU.)<\/p>\n

La Reverenda Dra. Diane Moffett
\nPresidente, Director Ejecutivo del Organismo de Misiones Presbiteriano<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PC(USA) calls for \u2018complete transparency\u2019 in Immokalee man\u2019s death By Darla Carter | Cross-post from Presbyterian News Service\u00a0 LOUISVILLE \u2014 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined a chorus of concerned voices calling for law enforcement officials to be more transparent about the deputy-involved shooting of a longtime member of a south Florida farming community last… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":2495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2745],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-farmworkers"],"yoast_head":"\nDeputy-involved shooting in Florida raises concerns - Food and Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/food-faith\/morales\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deputy-involved shooting in Florida raises concerns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PC(USA) calls for \u2018complete transparency\u2019 in Immokalee man\u2019s death By Darla Carter | Cross-post from Presbyterian News Service\u00a0 LOUISVILLE \u2014 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has joined a chorus of concerned voices calling for law enforcement officials to be more transparent about the deputy-involved shooting of a longtime member of a south Florida farming community last... 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