Grand jury decides no indictment in Sandra Bland jail death

A grand jury decided that neither sheriff’s officials nor jailers committed a crime in the treatment of a black woman who died in a Texas county jail last summer. He did not specify those issues, or provide any insight into the grand jury’s decision, but he did tell The New York Times: “The case is not over”.

“It’s not over”, he said. The driver and officer exchange heated words, and Encinia eventually threatened to use a stun again against Bland-“I will light you up!”-dragged her out of the vehicle, and arrested her. Bland was taken to Waller County jail, where she was found hanged with a plastic trash bag from a metal barrier in her cell”. The two argued and Encinia arrested Bland, reporting that she had assaulted him.

A grand jury chose not to indict anyone for the death of Sandra Bland.

A Texas grand jury announced yesterday, December 21, that it will not indict any employees of the sheriff’s office or jail associated with the controversial death of Sandra Bland, earlier this year. “I have never heard of a criminal case where the prosecutor did not talk to the victim’s family… any parent deserves to know anything out there that relates to the death of their child”.

Encinia and DPS claim sovereign immunity under the 11th Amendment, which broadly protects states and its institutions from being sued by individuals in federal courts. After all, it is significant that Bland’s death prompted the state Legislature to initiate a study of jail conditions in Texas. Bland’s family said, while they are hopeful, they questioned why jurors would need extra time to review video that’s been available for months.

Texas officials, backed by a medical examiner’s report, have maintained that Bland killed herself while in police custody.

Reed-Veal says that without seeing the Texas Rangers investigation into her daughter’s death, she can not accept the finding that it was suicide.

Muhammad says he agrees with Bland’s relatives who said they didn’t expect much from a grand jury system.

Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis has maintained that there is no evidence of foul play, but a lawyer for the family is requesting all the evidence from the grand jury proceedings to conduct their own investigation. Dashboard video of the subsequent encounter between Bland and Texas state trooper Brian Encina showed an initially normal encounter quickly turn acrimonious after Mr. Encina asked Bland to put out her cigarette and she refused.

But Jordan says Reed-Veal and her family declined to cooperate with the grand jury. “There could be indictments”, said Darrell Jordan, one of the five special prosecutors handling the Bland case. Texas Department of Safety officials later said Encinia did not follow department procedures and policies during the traffic stop, and he has been assigned to “administrative duty” since the incident. “The idea for that is to allow police to control a potentially risky situation”.