Officials release video of Texas jail where Sandra Bland died

theGRIO REPORT - On Monday, video from the Texas prison where Sandra Bland was discovered dead was released showing the staff reaction to the discovery.

TheGrio Staff

Jul 21, 2015

On Monday, video from the Texas prison where Sandra Bland was discovered dead was released showing the staff reaction to the discovery.

In the video, a prison deputy can be seen peering into the cell and discovering Bland slumped over in a “semi-standing position” with a plastic trash bag wrapped around her head.

Paramedics rushed to the cell, but Bland was declared dead less than ten minutes later. Since that time, Bland’s story has gained the attention of the national news, with many questioning the official story of suicide and demanding to know the truth behind what happened to her.

“This is being treated like a murder investigation,” Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis told reporters on Monday.

Bland’s death had originally been determined to be suicide by hanging during an investigation by the Harris County medical examiners, but Bland’s family has since asked for an independent autopsy. Now, probes by the sheriff’s office, the county district attorney, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI into the circumstances of her death as well as her arrest are ongoing.

As part of the investigation, the footage from the prison was released on Monday, and officials expect to release the footage from Bland’s arrest sometime on Tuesday as well.