Grand Jury Won't Indict Anyone in Sandra Bland Case
Sadly, Sandra Bland's family may not find the justice they seek after her death. A Texas grand jury voted on Monday not to indict anyone in connection with the 28-year-old's death in a Waller County, Texas, jail cell on July 13.
"After presenting all the evidence as it relates to the death of Sandra Bland, the grand jury did not return an indictment," Darrell Jordan, one of the five special prosecutors, said after the grand jury met Monday for about 11 hours. "The grand jury also considered things that occurred at the jail and did not return an indictment."
The grand jury will reconvene in January to "take up remaining issues," according to Jordan, including whether or not Brian Encinia, the white trooper who arrested Bland, should face charges.
On Friday, July 10, police stopped Bland in traffic for allegedly signaling a lane change improperly. A video captured by a bystander shows police using excessive force to arrest her. She was forced out of her vehicle and slammed onto the ground. On Monday, July 13, around 9 a.m., authorities found Bland unresponsive in her jail cell and performed CPR on her. She was pronounced dead shortly after. Police have claimed the incident was suicide, while her family does not believe she hanged herself.
Bland's family is fighting to make sure Sandra's case gets the attention it deserves. Her sister Sharon Cooper has penned an open letter on The Root to Attorney General Loretta Lynch asking for her to take action in Bland's case.
"On behalf of my family, I ask you to take action. You have the power to bring together the necessary resources to find the truth and investigate Sandy’s death as well as the ongoing problems in Waller County and Texas that led to her death," Cooper wrote. "Unless you take action, it’s likely my family will be denied the justice we deserve and the people of Texas will be denied the change they deserve," she pleaded.
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(Photo: Courtesy of Bland family/AP Photo)
