A Texas grand jury has opted to indict Brian Encinia, the Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland three days before her July death, and charge him with perjury. That's not justice for me," Reed-Veal said. And he was met with applause last month while speaking at a convention of the National Action Network, founded by the Rev. On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was killed in the New York City borough of Staten Island after Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him. Bland's sister said there is a bond among families of Blacks killed by officers. Kelleys claims that he tried to expose misconduct in Blands case stand out as unusual. She studied print journalism at the University of Houston and French at the University of Paris-Sorbonne in France. Dash cam video shows Encinia, who later claimed that he was attempting to safely conduct a traffic investigation, threatening to use his taser, saying that he was going to light up Bland. "We all need each other. Heres How You Can Make A Difference In Honour Of Brianna Ghey, Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, The Woman Nikole Hannah-Jones Credits With Her Career Success, Heres How To Watch The Alex Murdaugh Trial Live, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Bland was 28 years old. The 30-year old Trooper Encinia is now on administrative duty for violating . More: George Floyd. Lawyers for Bland's family have argued that Texas state trooper Brian Encinia had no grounds for the July arrest. The DA also insinuated Kelley is only trying to distract from his own misdemeanor indictment over using a taser on city councilman Jonathan Miller in 2015. Now, newly released audio recordings show former Texas Department of Safety Trooper Brian Encinia claims he feared for his own personal safety after pulling over Sandra Bland, a28-year-old black woman, in Waller County on July 21, 2015. Orta was released in May 2020 and is under court supervision until January 2022. Did they not watch the video? Still Practicing: Tracking Problem Doctors, Texas Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Investigations, Sign up for More than the Score Sports newsletter. I think he is afraid of what happened. The Post reported: "While the number of black males armed and unarmed who have been killed has fallen, black males continue to be shot at disproportionately high rates, the data shows. As USA TODAY reported in 2015, video from the Waller County jail provedBland was alive while her mugshots were taken. Friday, October 30, 2020. . Although Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Cal.) the I-Team was unable to find current contact information for Brian Encinia. Encinia had claimed in an affidavit that Bland was "combative and uncooperative," which grand jurors determined to be untrue. Once in handcuffs and placed on the the ground, the violator stated that she has epilepsy. Her friends and family vigorously denied she would have taken her life, saying suicide was "unfathomable.". 20102021 ", Encinia wrote in a report that Bland had become combative and was swinging and kicking at him. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Cellphone video recorded by Sandra Bland, a black woman found dead in a Texas jail following a confrontational 2015 traffic stop, shows for the first time her perspective as a white state trooper draws his stun gun and points it at close range while ordering her out of her car HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) A judge dismissed a misdemeanor perjury charge against a fired Texas state trooper Wednesday in a case arising from his 2015 arrest of Sandra Bland, a black woman who was later found dead in a county jail Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. By Nola Valente A Texas grand jury decided not to hand down indictments against anyone connected to the death of Sandra Bland, including her arresting officer, Texas state trooper Brian Encinia. This week, a Dallas news station obtained a cellphone clip recorded by Sandra Bland. Bland family members say they were disappointed most of the police reform portions of the bill were eliminated in the version that passed. A native Texan, Nola serves as reporter for the Katy edition of Community Impact Newspaper. Who is graffitiing I was raped, I am OK in ATX? 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. There is an established pattern of police backing up a colleagues lie for as long as possible, then having their cover-up exposed by video or outside investigations. If convicted of the perjury charge, Encinia could face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc. Find Brian Encinia current Net worth as well as Salary, Bio, Age, Height and Quick Facts! Her life mattered. Encinia's case was dropped in exchange for a promise he would never again work in law enforcement. A dozen officers in New York City sued the NYPD last year alleging that they have faced retaliation from supervisors for trying to expose the continued use of quotas in the city despite department officials claims to have reformed those rules. Nola was previously a foreign correspondent in Jerusalem, Israel covering Middle East news through an internship with an American news outlet. When Chicago cops killed Laquan McDonald in late 2014, the official story was that the knife-wielding teenager had lunged at officers who fired in self-defense. Encinia was eventually charged, but only with perjurya decision that sparked further outrage. Orta was released in May 2020 and is under court supervision until January 2022. Five Democratic 2020 candidates said video of the 2015 arrest days before the woman was found dead in a cell warrants a new look at the case. Brian Encinia, charged with perjury in the arrest of Sandra Bland, has turned himself in to authorities and is now out on bail. Im sure many people would rather not bring Sandra Bland back up again. Thank you for supporting our journalism. VOTE: Whats the best KXAN viewer photo of February? Students Suffer. This case should be reopened and justice should finally be served., Nina Turner, co-chair of the presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), called the video gut-wrenching and unacceptable.. After Bland asks why Encinia would threaten to drag me out of my own car, he pulls out his Taser. How many more videos do we have to see before law enforcement does something. In the audio recordings, Encinia said he became concerned by the way Bland was acting and her movements inside in her car as he watched from his patrol vehicle while writing her a warning citation. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Still,some people felt the details of the case weretoo strange to be true. Trooper Encinia stated that he understood. Bland was pulled over on June 10, 2015, during a road trip to Texas from Illinois, where she lived. Joseph Wulfsohn / Fox News: Brian Stelter defends 2020 media coverage of Hunter Biden laptop story: We never labeled it 'disinformation' . "I'm angry. Derek Chauvin/Wife. This decision does not mean that Encinia will not face criminal charges. ABC7 Chicago says farewell to Meteorologist Phil Schwarz, Arrest warrant issued for top NFL Draft prospect Jalen Carter, How officials cracked case of eyedrops that blinded people. Kelleys claim that the DAs office tried to intimidate him resonate with other stories of police officers speaking up when they believe their colleagues or bosses broke the law or violated someones civil rights. But Bland was alive when her mugshots were taken. The Texas Department of Public Safety laterfired Encinia for escalating the situation during the traffic stop. The four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's death were fired and are awaiting trial. Encinia was eventually charged, but only with perjury a decision that sparked further outrage. Brian Encinia, the Texas trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, had been warned about "unprofessional conduct" in 2014, according to documents obtained by the . ON NOW. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. I unequivocally state that he never approached me, my first assistant, or any member of my staff with any such information, Mathis wrote to the Houston Chronicle. "I'm angry, absolutely. Part of HuffPost Black Voices. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Brian Encinia is an ex-state trooper in Texas. "But I pray for them and I just pray for better days for America because America is messed up right now.". Click here to read Sandra Bland Death Investigation, Editors Note: This story was first published Sept. 15, 2017. Bland, a 28-year-old Black woman, was arrestedin July 2015 for allegedly assaulting Texasstate trooper Brian Enciniaduringa traffic stop. Most of the time, the blue wall of silence has to get torn down from the outside. But for all that attention, and video evidence suggesting Blands only offense was getting angry with a cop she felt was mistreating her, the exact circumstances of her death remain unknown. It also shows Bland sitting down for her mugshot and then getting up. The state Public Safety department moved to fire Encinia after his perjury indictment in January accused him of lying about the confrontation. A prosecutor can still go to trial if he or she believes that the evidence is strong enough to warrant one, and there will still be a grand jury regarding the events surrounding the arrest. 6 Things We Know About Brian Encinia, The Texas Trooper Who Arrested Sandra Bland. The new video from Sandra Bland's vantage point shows former Texas State Trooper Brian Encinia pulling a taser on her as she sat in the . Geneva Reed-Veal, Bland's mother, balked at Encinia's perjury misdemeanor charge, which carries up to a $4,000 fine and a year in jail. Al Sharpton, when he clearly said, Black lives matter.. The post includes a pictureshowing Bland in an orange jumpsuit with her eyes rolled back into her head. Watch: Booneville holds on to beat Morton 34-30 in MHSAA 3A Semifinals Scorebook Live; Montana Ag Report 3-1-23 KTVQ Billings, MT; Pedestrian deaths on the rise nationwide The trooper, Brian Encinia, was indicted on a charge of perjury. Id like to see candidates continue to take the right stances, even if they are difficult, she said. Who is Brian Encinia? This video is compelling proof that Trooper Encinia lied, that Sandra Bland posed no threat, and that there was no basis for her arrest. Prairie View, TX, police officer Michael Kelley says that a local prosecutor and police officials suppressed facts about Bland's initial arrest while investigating Brian Encinia, the man who actually cuffed and booked Bland. US Casinos With FreeSpins: Why Players Like No-Deposit Bonuses? CapMetro apologizes for post-Austin FC game service, APA! Sandra Bland. The situation had already gotten out of hand by the time the violator found out what she was receiving.

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