Coroner: Mississippi official fatally shot himself before court appearance in corruption case

Authorities say a Mississippi official who was facing federal corruption charges fatally shot himself the day he was to appear in court.

Coroner Gary Hargrove says Supervisor William Martin died early Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with a note found nearby.

Martin had been set to appear in court on an indictment alleging two counts of bribery and one count of obstruction of justice.

Martin's lawyer, Jim Davis, says Martin planned to plead not guilty. But Martin never appeared for pre-trial processing, and a federal magistrate issued a bench warrant for his arrest. Authorities found Martin at his home when they tried to serve the warrant.

Martin, a lawyer and former prosecutor, has served as a supervisor of the coast's most populous county since 1999.