The FBI has stepped in to investigate the death of 28-year-old Sandra Bland, days after the Illinois resident was found dead in a Texas jail cell, according to news reports.
In a statement, the Waller County sheriff’s office said Bland died from “self-inflicted asphyxiation.” But, family and friends believe foul play caused the death of Bland, who was in Texas starting a new job.
“The family of Sandra Bland is confident that she was killed and did not commit suicide. The family has retained counsel to investigate Sandy’s death,” a statement from the law firm representing the family reads.
People across the nation have also joined in on the family’s grief by sharing the hashtag #WhatHappenedToSandyBland and #JusticeForSandy on social media.
Yet, Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said a Facebook video Bland shared in March speaking about a personal bout of depression is "extremely relevant."
"That self-diagnosis is certainly something that we are going to look at and consider with a motive for a suicide," Mathis said.
A Texas state trooper arrested Bland in the afternoon of July 10, 2015 in Waller County after stopping her for not signaling before changing lanes.
A statement from the Department of Public Safety said that Bland was "argumentative and uncooperative” and taken into custody for assaulting a public servant.
A graphic video posted online by a bystander shows the moment of Bland's arrest. She's also heard telling the police officer that her head had been slammed on the ground preventing her from hearing.
"All of this for a traffic signal?" she said, while also telling the person filming. "Thank you for recording! Thank you!"
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Woman Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances in Police Custody
Texas police arrested this woman after a traffic stop. Three days later, she was found dead in her jail cell.
Posted by AJ+ on Thursday, July 16, 2015
