The suit also seeks the termination by the Texas Department of Public safety of Trooper Brian Encinia, who pulled Bland over for failing to signal a lane change and arrested her after an argument stemming from her refusal to put out a cigarette.
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The Department of Public Safety said it does not discuss potential or pending litigation.
Bland was also forbidden from contacting her family and friends via telephone on July 12 and 13, it added.
The official autopsy says it was most likely suicide, but Bland’s own family has some serious doubts.
“Period”, Bland’s mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, said at a news conference. We don’t have the ligature.
At last week’s House committee hearing, Coleman demanded to know what DPS Director McCraw would do to improve police training. We’ve asked for it in writing, but we’re not getting it.’. “We don’t get the full toxicology report”. He said information the family has received from law enforcement has been inconsistent, which raises concerns about what has and hasn’t been given to them.
– July 17: About 100 protesters questioning Bland’s death march from the Waller County jail to the courthouse in Hempstead. Authorities have said Bland hanged herself in her cell, but the family disputes the finding.
Holding a Bible, Bland’s mother conceded her daughter may have been driven to commit suicide last month. Yet in the days after authorities released the dash-cam footage of Bland’s arrest, daily newspapers across the state assured us the lesson here was to “obey police instruction.” One Houston Chronicle headline read, “experts say comply first, complain later.” At the very least, Bland’s family wants Encina fired.
Local officials have said she was not mistreated in jail.
Bland was in Prairie View, northwest of Houston, when she was stopped July 10 for a minor traffic infraction.
Encinia said in an affidavit that after handcuffing her for becoming combative, she swung her elbows at him and kicked him in his right shin.
Waller County officials did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
The lawsuit was filed in a Houston federal court Tuesday morning, according to court documents obtained by Breitbart Texas.
The lawsuit alleges that those who held Bland in Waller County Jail were “willful, wanton and reckless in failing to provide adequate monitoring of Sandra Bland to keep her safe and secure”.
“This family has been searching for answers for three weeks now”.
This story has been corrected to show the suit was filed against the sheriff’s office, not the sheriff.
Sandra Bland died three days after a physical confrontation with a white police officer during a traffic stop.
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Bland family lawyer, Cannon Lambert, told the press in Huston on Tuesday that they’re asking the US Department of Justice to investigate the woman’s death.
