Man commits suicide before trial
Posted/updated on: May 16, 2026 at 6:59 am
HARRISON COUNTY – After leading deputies on a police pursuit, a Tennessee man who was awaiting a court appearance on a child-rape charge committed suicide in Harrison County on Tuesday night.
The sheriff’s office, as well as our news partner KETK, reports that around 11:30 p.m., a deputy pulled over 36-year-old Trinidad Torres on Highway 59 South. Torres was reportedly acting tense during the stop, and the deputy asked him to get out of his car after discovering a pistol in his possession. Torres reportedly refused to get out of his car and started to drive away from the scene. Before Torres crashed his car into a cable close to the 1300 block of Highway 59, a chase started.
Torres continued to refuse to get out of his car when more Panola County deputies arrived on the scene. Officials used a drone inside the car to smash Torres’ window. According to the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, they found that he had died after allegedly shooting himself in the head with his pistol. At approximately 1:30 p.m., a justice of the peace declared Torres dead. The Texas Rangers have opened an investigation because the incident was determined to be an in-custody death.
