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New details were revealed this week in the investigation of Sandra Bland’s death.
Bland, 28, was found dead July 13 in a Waller County Jail cell, three days after she was arrested for a minor traffic violation that turned into a heated confrontation with a Texas state trooper.
Authorities ruled her death a suicide. Bland’s family does not believe that she would have committed suicide and have pushed for an investigation.
Details of her arrest: The dashcam video of Bland's arrest was released Tuesday by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which released a new version of Bland's arrest footage Wednesday in response to allegations that the video was altered.
What started out as a routine stop for a minor traffic violation, failing to signal a lane change, turned into a tense and heated confrontation between Trooper Brian Encinia and Bland. Encinia is seen on the dashcam video remarking that Bland seems irritated, and she responds that she is irritated for being pulled over because she only switched lanes to get out of the officer’s way. Encinia then asks her to put out her cigarette, and Bland declines, asking why she can’t smoke in her own car.
Encinia orders Bland out of the car, and when she refuses, he physically removes her after threatening to “light her up” with his stun gun. A physical and verbal confrontation ensues, and Bland is arrested. Encinia claims in his report that he was just going to give Bland a written warning before she failed to obey lawful orders and kicked him.
>>Watch the dashcam video of Bland's arrest (Warning: Graphic language)
The morning of her death: According to the Los Angeles Times, Bland refused a breakfast tray at about 6:30 a.m. and received a security check at 6:51 a.m. and again at 7:17 a.m. Bland was found hanging shortly after 9 a.m. Surveillance video does not show any person entering or exiting her cell during that time period.
Her mental state: Family members and friends insist that Bland was upbeat about a new job prospect and was not suicidal.
However, in March, Bland posted a video on Facebook claiming that she was suffering from a “little bit of depression as well as PTSD.”
On the arrest video, Bland is heard telling the officer that she has epilepsy. She also reported via a jail intake questionnaire that she attempted suicide with pills in 2014 after losing a baby.
Jailers who dealt with Bland said she seemed fine when she was booked, and did not seem suicidal or mentally ill, according to KHOU.
What her family says: Family members held a press conference in which they expressed outrage over the arrest video. They said Bland was traveling from Illinois to interview for a job at Prairie View A&M University, a historically black college from which she graduated in 2009. They do not believe that Bland was suicidal or suffered from depression.
“I simply feel like the officer was picking on her, and I believe that is petty," said Bland’s sister, Sharon Cooper. Cooper went on to say that the trooper bullied Bland after having his ego bruised.
Local authorities have met with the Bland family to offer their condolences and update the family on the investigation.
Bland’s body has been flown back to Chicago for a funeral on Saturday.
Where the investigation stands: The Texas Rangers and the FBI are investigating Bland's death. "This investigation is still being treated just as it would be a murder investigation," Waller County district attorney Elton Mathis said. Local authorities remain steadfast in their belief that Bland's death was a suicide by self-inflicted asphyxiation. Authorities believe that Bland used a plastic trash liner to hang herself from a metal barrier that divided the bathroom from the rest of the cell, according to CNN.
An official autopsy has been performed, and according to CNN, preliminary results indicate that Bland had marijuana in her system and cutting scars on her arm. Bland’s family is seeking an independent autopsy.
The Waller County district attorney expects to turn over investigation results to a grand jury in August.
Encinia, who has been a trooper for just over a year, has been placed on administrative desk duties while the investigation is ongoing. He has not spoken publicly about the case. The Texas Department of Public Safety said Encinia violated several courtesy protocols in the Bland arrest.
Social media has helped place the Bland case in the spotlight via the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
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