Texas officials release video footage in woman’s jail death

Carie Cauley, left, Rev. Hannah Bonner and Rhys Caraway protest, after the death of Sandra Bland, as they sit in front of the Waller County Sheriff's Office and county jail on Monday, July 20, 2015, in Hempstead, Texas. Authorities said Bland hanged herself in the jail three days after being pulled over by police for a traffic violation and then arrested for allegedly kicking an officer during the stop. Bland's family is ordering an independent autopsy, lawyers said. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT Carie Cauley, left, Rev. Hannah Bonner and Rhys Caraway protest, after the death of Sandra Bland, as they sit in front of the Waller County Sheriff's Office and county jail on Monday, July 20, 2015, in Hempstead, Texas. Authorities said Bland hanged herself in the jail three days after being pulled over by police for a traffic violation and then arrested for allegedly kicking an officer during the stop. Bland's family is ordering an independent autopsy, lawyers said. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press July 20, 2015 4 min read

HEMPSTEAD, Texas (AP) – Texas authorities on Monday released a three-hour video taken from outside a jail cell where an Illinois woman arrested during a traffic stop was found dead.

The video from a motion-operated camera shows there was no activity for 90 minutes in the hallway leading to the cell where authorities say 28-year-old Sandra Bland was found hanged on July 13, three days after her arrest.

Authorities also said dashcam video of Bland’s arrest is expected to be released Tuesday. Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis said Monday the video is consistent with information the officer has provided about the traffic stop. The Texas Department of Public Safety has said Bland was arrested after she allegedly kicked an officer.

But Mathis cautioned that the dashcam video shows only restricted views of the stop in Prairie View, Texas.

The Chicago-area black woman’s death at the Waller County jail in Hempstead, about 60 miles northwest of Houston, comes amid increased national scrutiny of police after a series of high-profile cases in which blacks have been killed by officers. The FBI and the Texas Rangers are investigating.