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| Sandra Bland was arrested after officer became annoyed that she was smoking | Sandra Bland was arrested after officer became annoyed that she was smoking |
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| Sandra Bland was ordered out of her car after a police officer became annoyed that she was smoking, according to a spokesman for her family. | Sandra Bland was ordered out of her car after a police officer became annoyed that she was smoking, according to a spokesman for her family. |
| The 28-year-old’s death in a Texas county jail has sparked national outrage and protests after her family questioned the official account that she hanged herself with a trash bag in her cell. She was found dead three days after her arrest for allegedly assaulting a public servant after a routine traffic stop escalated into a physical encounter. | The 28-year-old’s death in a Texas county jail has sparked national outrage and protests after her family questioned the official account that she hanged herself with a trash bag in her cell. She was found dead three days after her arrest for allegedly assaulting a public servant after a routine traffic stop escalated into a physical encounter. |
| Bland was stopped, supposedly for a minor traffic violation, on 10 July in Waller County, a rural area near Houston. Footage filmed by a bystander shows her being pinned to the ground by officers. She was found dead on the morning of 13 July. | Bland was stopped, supposedly for a minor traffic violation, on 10 July in Waller County, a rural area near Houston. Footage filmed by a bystander shows her being pinned to the ground by officers. She was found dead on the morning of 13 July. |
| At a news conference outside the county jail on Monday, Jamal Bryant, a pastor from Baltimore who was flanked by other activists and protesters, said that dashcam images from a state trooper’s car show the officer becoming agitated as Bland smokes in her car and starts to film the encounter. | At a news conference outside the county jail on Monday, Jamal Bryant, a pastor from Baltimore who was flanked by other activists and protesters, said that dashcam images from a state trooper’s car show the officer becoming agitated as Bland smokes in her car and starts to film the encounter. |
| “He became outraged and unnerved because he’s handling a black woman who is not ignorant, who knows her rights,” he said. Bryant claimed that her death was not suicide but “murder, a homicide”. He linked her death with other fatal encounters between African Americans and police across the country, which have prompted widespread demonstrations and energized the Black Lives Matter movement. | “He became outraged and unnerved because he’s handling a black woman who is not ignorant, who knows her rights,” he said. Bryant claimed that her death was not suicide but “murder, a homicide”. He linked her death with other fatal encounters between African Americans and police across the country, which have prompted widespread demonstrations and energized the Black Lives Matter movement. |
| Waller County has a history of racism, while the sheriff, Glenn Smith, was fired from his previous job after allegations of racist behaviour, which he has denied. | Waller County has a history of racism, while the sheriff, Glenn Smith, was fired from his previous job after allegations of racist behaviour, which he has denied. |
| The Texas department of public safety, which is leading the investigation, said in a statement on Friday that the officer who stopped Bland, identified as Brian Encinia, has been assigned to desk duties for “violations of the department’s procedures regarding traffic stops and the department’s courtesy policy”. | The Texas department of public safety, which is leading the investigation, said in a statement on Friday that the officer who stopped Bland, identified as Brian Encinia, has been assigned to desk duties for “violations of the department’s procedures regarding traffic stops and the department’s courtesy policy”. |
| The agency had previously said that Bland “became argumentative and uncooperative” after being stopped for failing to signal a lane change. It has asked the FBI to analyse videos related to the incident and has pledged to release footage to the public. | The agency had previously said that Bland “became argumentative and uncooperative” after being stopped for failing to signal a lane change. It has asked the FBI to analyse videos related to the incident and has pledged to release footage to the public. |
| The Bland family’s Chicago-based lawyer, Cannon Lambert, told NBC News that she asked the officer: “Why do I have to put out a cigarette when I’m in my own car? And that seemed to irritate him to the point where he said, ‘get out of the car’.” Lambert said that the trooper “looked to force her to get out of the car by way of opening the door and started demanding that she do”. | |
| Waller County’s district attorney, Elton Mathis, told reporters last week that the investigation would be thorough and transparent and findings of potential wrongdoing would be presented to a grand jury. | Waller County’s district attorney, Elton Mathis, told reporters last week that the investigation would be thorough and transparent and findings of potential wrongdoing would be presented to a grand jury. |
| After Bland’s death the Texas Commission on Jail Standards said that it had found the Waller County jail to be in non-compliance with minimum standards for failing to check on inmates in person at least once an hour and for inadequate staff training on how to handle potentially suicidal inmates. The sheriff’s office said in a statement that it would be “working on improvements”. | After Bland’s death the Texas Commission on Jail Standards said that it had found the Waller County jail to be in non-compliance with minimum standards for failing to check on inmates in person at least once an hour and for inadequate staff training on how to handle potentially suicidal inmates. The sheriff’s office said in a statement that it would be “working on improvements”. |
| Family members have travelled to Texas and are awaiting the results of an independent autopsy performed at their request, which should be released within the next two days. Activists on Monday called for an investigation by the US Department of Justice. | Family members have travelled to Texas and are awaiting the results of an independent autopsy performed at their request, which should be released within the next two days. Activists on Monday called for an investigation by the US Department of Justice. |
| An FBI spokeswoman, Shauna Dunlap, said: “We are monitoring the ongoing local investigation. Once the local process takes its course, the FBI will review all of the evidence to determine if any federal criminal laws may have been violated.” | An FBI spokeswoman, Shauna Dunlap, said: “We are monitoring the ongoing local investigation. Once the local process takes its course, the FBI will review all of the evidence to determine if any federal criminal laws may have been violated.” |
| Bland, a racial justice activist, had newly arrived in Texas from Chicago for a job interview at Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, where a vigil was held in her memory on Sunday. | Bland, a racial justice activist, had newly arrived in Texas from Chicago for a job interview at Prairie View A&M University, her alma mater, where a vigil was held in her memory on Sunday. |
| She got the job. Family and friends have said she had no reason to end her life, though she talked about feeling depressed in a Facebook post several months earlier. Bryant said she “turned the corner … just got a job opportunity and was excited about life”. | She got the job. Family and friends have said she had no reason to end her life, though she talked about feeling depressed in a Facebook post several months earlier. Bryant said she “turned the corner … just got a job opportunity and was excited about life”. |