In an attempt to dispel rumors that Sandra Bland was dead when she arrived at the Waller County jail, Texas officials released some three hours of footage showing the 28-year-old’s arrival at the jail.
According to the Associated Press, rumors on social media have spread far and wide that Bland may have been dead when her mug shot was taken. Conspiracy theorists argued the positioning of her shoulders, the position of her hair and the slack in her jaw to make their case. Texas officials claim that those rumors, among several others, have led to death threats against county officials.
“Because of some of the things that’s gone out on social media, this county has been literally attacked,” Waller County Judge Trey Duhon said during a news conference, according to AP. Duhon added that Bland was “alive and well” when she arrived at the jail.
“The video released shows her arriving at the jail, being questioned by a jailer filling out forms, making phone calls, getting her mug shot taken, sleeping in her cell and being taken in and out,” AP reports.
AP notes that the video doesn’t have audio but that Bland appears calm upon her arrival. Bland can be seen rubbing her hands in her hair, and a jail employee allows her to use a phone at the booking station instead of having her use the phone in her jail cell. During the call, AP points out that she appeared animated.
Bland’s arrest made national news after she was stopped July 10 for allegedly failing to use a signal when changing lanes. Three days later, police officials claim, she was found dead in her cell. Texas authorities claim that Bland committed suicide. Her family and friends do not believe that she killed herself.
AP notes that a group of “outside attorneys will assist Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis in investigating Bland’s death.”
“I don’t know if we’ll ever get an answer to all the questions,” attorney Lewis White, one of the committee members, told AP. “But our job is to get answers. There are going to be answers some people don’t like.”
The Texas Rangers and the FBI are investigating the case.
Read more at Yahoo News.