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OPA-LOCKA (CBSMiami) – The life of Opa-locka City Commissioner Terence Pinder came to a violent end.

He was behind the wheel of a city-owned Chevy Tahoe and rammed headfirst into a tree just 24 hours before he was set to turn himself in to prosecutors.

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle says in part, “Commissioner Pinder was scheduled to surrender on Bribery and Unlawful Compensation charges related to bribes he solicited to help a local businessman who had been acting as an informant, to assist in obtaining approval from the City Of Opa-locka to operate a solid waste transfer station. No such charges or offenses are worth taking one’s life.”

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Alexis Minnis, who says Pinder was her godfather, doesn’t believe he would have committed suicide.

“I think someone was on him and he ran into the tree. Whatever they tried to charge him with, I don’t think he would have killed himself for that,” said Minnis.

The embattled commissioner had previously been removed from office for corruption by Gov. Bush, and was re-elected to serve Opa-locka residents in 2014.

“Men like that made me pull my pants up put a belt on and tuck my shirt in my pants. He had nothing but a positive influence on me since I knew him,” said Artis Grant

Grant says he didn’t know about the legal troubles of his good friend Pinder, and it doesn’t matter to him.

Opa-locka is a city already in financial crisis. This latest incident, had some activists rushing to the scene, arguing about corruption at City Hall.

“Terrence was a friend. Terrence stood up to the others that are there and corrupt,” said former Opa-locka city manager Steve Shiver.

While he considered Pinder a friend, according to Pinder’s arrest warrant, Shiver was unknowingly going to be used to play out the commissioner’s illegal schemes.

A state informant helped investigators by wearing a wire. That informant was the former owner of a waste and recycling company in Opa-locka.

The warrant says he made several payments to Pinder in exchange for favors.

In one of the conversations, Pinder says of Shriver that Opa-locka needed a “white boy that he could control to be the next city manager.”

He goes on to tell the informant, that they needed to wait three weeks until Shiver was in place and then they could do whatever when it came to carrying out criminal schemes.

Shiver was fired after notifying the governor last year that the city was in financial crisis. He says the state should have stepped in back then.

“A lot of this could have been avoided bowl and now you have the blood of what appears to be a good man on your hands,” he said.

Mayor Carlos Gimenez says the victims of Opa-locka’s near-bankruptcy are its 16,000 residents.

“We’ve already sent two letters to the Governor’s office requesting the governor asking to intervene in the state of affairs of Opa-locka,” he said.

CBS4 News pressed Governor Rick Scott about it.

“The process is it goes first to our inspector general. She’s going through a review right now, then we’ll figure out what the next step is,” said the governor.

In the meantime, those who knew and loved the city leader, who spent most of his political career mired in controversy and investigations, can’t believe his life was cut short at age 43.

“I’m not worried about none of them politics, I’m just worried about him,” said Minnis.

The City of Opa-locka sent out this statement, with Pinder’s name still on the letterhead, writing, “It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we inform you of the passing of Commissioner Terence K. Pinder. He was known and loved by the young, the elderly and the community at large. He will be missed in “The Great City of Opa-locka.””

The former Homestead mayor – who Pinder brought in as city manager – and who was fired in November put this statement on his Facebook page.

“I am absolutely devastated right now. Just received a call from friends in the City of Opa-Locka that my friend Terence Pinder and the ONLY COMMISSIONER THAT WAS VOCAL AND TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE HAS APPARENTLY “COMMITTED SUICIDE.” My friends, if you have kept up with this mess at all, Terrence Pinder was and always insisted I do the right thing for the people of Opa-Locka no matter WHO it upset. In fact, I spoke to him at length recently and he was fine. When will the FBI and the Governor’s office step in and finish the job they started. Now we have the blood of a good man on our hands and excuse me but I am [expletive]…………. RIP my friend and trust me when I say, we will not sleep until this pattern of corruption and GROSS mismanagement of the City Of Opa-Locka and EVERYONE RESPONSIBLE is behind bars………”

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Pinder’s former defense attorney Benedict Kuehne issued a statement on his death saying, “At this time of personal tragedy for Terence Pinder, his family, and his community, I sincerely ask that Terence Pinder’s memory be as a good man who worked hard at leading Opa-Locka in a positive way. The lessons to be learned from Terence are many, not the least of which is his ability to grow stronger and more vibrant when facing with enormous obstacles, including personal ones. Even though he prevailed in so many of his personal battles, he understood that positive leadership requires sacrifices and perseverance. May his memory be as a blessing.”

Police have not said whether Pinder left a note, or if there were any other items in the SUV that might have explained the motive for the crash.