Bland was about to start a new job, had spoken to a bail bondsman about leaving prison and was known by those closest to her as an upbeat person.
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The Illinois woman was charged with assaulting a public servant after a July 10 traffic stop in Texas turned confrontational.
Smith said failing to use a turn signal is not an arrestable offense in Florida, and from the video, he doesn’t see any probable cause to pull her out of the auto. “You just slammed me, knocked my head in the ground”. “She had left messages with her loved ones and that just does not jive with someone who would take her own life”. Family members and friends have questioned that account.
The department says the video hasn’t been edited, but says there were technical glitches as a result of uploading the video.
Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith said: “On the first initial questionnaire when she came in, she told [the jailers] she had tried to commit suicide a year ago”.
Bland gives a few more details on her arrest, and before she hangs up she said “I’m still here”. “And the courts have all ruled at that point in time the citizen has no obligation to do anything regarding anything that the police officer says”, Fortinberry said.
Documents filled out for Bland indicate she had previously attempted suicide after losing a baby. Bland had previously discussed her suicidal thoughts online.
28-year-old woman Sandra Bland was arrested on July 10 after an altercation with a cop over traffic violation.
Civil rights activists have raised questions about the role race may have played in her arrest and death in a county with a long history of racial tensions.
Others have suggested the dash cam footage, released on Tuesday initially and then a new version on Wednesday, could have been doctored – as it originally showed jumps and breaks in images. He then tried to physically take her out of the vehicle. Bland’s family has hired an independent medical examiner to investigate her death.
This report contains material from the Associated Press.
According to the video, after the trooper hands Bland the written warning, he remarks that she seems irritated.
He goes on to ask that the body not be disturbed any more so that she will be available for future examinations by qualified experts.
The Waller County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance Monday of Bland’s jail cell during the three hours before her death.
The 28-year-old woman was found dead in her jail cell three days later.
Lavaughn Mosley said he also spoke with Bland directly while she was in the Waller County jail and that she didn’t sound depressed.
Bland did make a social media video post in March in which she said she was depressed, but Lambert has said that doesn’t speak to her mindset at the time of the arrest. She was found dead in her jail cell two days later. “When you tell me that you’re going to “light” me up, I feel extremely threatened and concerned, and I’m not going to get out of my auto”, Bland’s sister, Sharon Cooper, said. That officer was assigned to administrative duties for the duration of the investigation.
Both state officials and the FBI are investigating her death.
Cooper believes her sister was targeted by an overzealous cop who puller her over because she had out of state license plates.
Bland’s booking paperwork is also raising questions.
Bland: Don’t touch me, I’m not under arrest. Her family has said she was looking forward to starting a new job northwest of Houston and wouldn’t contemplate suicide.
The sheriff said Wednesday that no one gained access to the cell and contributed to Bland’s death.
“I refuse to talk to you other than to identify myself”, Bland responded.
In the Facebook post, Waller County Judge Trey Duhon explained that he wanted to clear up some of what he calls “misinformation” that is out there.
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“She was very aggravated”, Needham told reporters at a news conference earlier this week.
