Sandra Bland
Sandra Bland's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the Waller County sheriff's office.
According to KBTX, the lawsuit not only claims that Bland's constitutional rights were violated, but the legal action also looks to pressure officials into becoming more transparent.
According to Cannon Lambert, the attorney representing the family, officials haven't released critical information about the investigation into Bland's death to the family, including police and medical reports. Without this information, Lambert says it is impossible to complete their independent medical examination, according to KBTX's report.
Bland was pulled over in Prairie View, Texas on July 10 for failing to signal a lane change.
After a physical altercation between Bland and the arresting officer, Brian Encinia, Bland was booked at Waller County Jail on accusations of assaulting a police officer. However, dash-cam video of the traffic stop doesn't show Bland, who was placed in handcuffs, assaulting anyone and the officer didn't appear hurt. Three days later, July 13, a jailer found Bland dead in her cell.
The preliminary autopsy found that Bland used a garage bag to asphyxiate herself. The family doubts the official law enforcement narrative and hopes the lawsuit will provide answers they are desperately seeking.
