Sandra Bland, 28, was found dead in Waller County, Texas, on Monday.
According to local authorities, she killed herself, but her family and friends don’t believe it and feel her true cause of death is being covered up.
Two nights prior, Sandra drove to Texas from Illinois to start a new job at her alma mater, Prairie View A&M. On July 10, police stopped Sandra right around the corner from the campus for allegedly failing to signal while changing lanes. Police say that during the stop she became combative, and she was arrested and taken to jail on charges of “assault on a public servant.”
Her arrest was recorded by a local bystander and is on YouTube. The video shows several police officers standing over Sandra while she is on the ground, arguing with them about why they’re being so rough. At one point, she can be heard saying, “You just slammed my head into the ground. Do you not even care about that?” She also thanks the man recording the incident for filming as she is led to a police cruiser.
Around 9 a.m. on July 13, before her family could bail her out, Sandra was found dead inside her cell. Police are ruling her death a suicide, specifically “self-inflicted asphyxiation.” Her family and friends say that is impossible because Sandra would have never done such a thing.
Prior to her death, she had last been seen by guards at 7 a.m., and she was spoken to by intercom at 8 a.m. when she was given breakfast.
Her death is being investigated by the Texas Rangers.
“I understand there’s some disbelief among some friends and family that she would do this to herself,” District Attorney Elton Mathis told the Chicago Tribune. “That’s why it’s very important that the Texas Rangers be allowed to conduct a thorough investigation.”
“Sheriff R Glenn Smith states that any loss of life is a tragic incident and while the investigation is being conducted by outside agencies, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office will continue to observe the daily operations of the jail to always look for improvements and/or preventions of these incidents,” the press release said.
None of this sounds right. We’re praying for #JusticeforSandy.
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