Not to the surprise of many, the Texas grand jury in charge of determining whether cops or other officials should be charged in the Sandra Bland case have determined that there will be no indictment of any of the law enforcement officials involved. So no charges for Sandra Bland officers.
Sandra Bland, was found hanged in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015. Her death was classified as a suicide by the county coroner. Bland was only 28 years old. She was pulled over for a minor traffic violation, making an improper lane change, on July 10 by a state trooper, Brian Encinia. Brian alleged that Bland assaulted him and that’s why an arrest was necessary. A dash cam video recorded the conflict and the “assault” but it also showed that the trooper did not follow proper traffic stop procedures. He was placed on administrative duty for his actions.
The death led to several protests and helped continue the Black Lives Matter movement. The grand jury was looking into the death as a possible murder, but this all but closes the door on that. The autopsy in the case ruled the death a suicide, however we are still awaiting the results of a second independent autopsy.
The grand jury deliberated for 11 hours today. “After presenting all the evidence as it relates to the death of Sandra Bland, the grand jury did not return an indictment,” explained Darrell Jordan, one of the five special prosecutors for the case. “The grand jury also considered things that occurred at the jail and did not return an indictment.” Source: NY Daily News
The grand jury in this case is set to reconvene in January to look into separate charges in the case.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
