HOUSTON — A Texas county sued by the family of a black woman who died in the county jail last summer says she committed suicide because she was despondent over her relatives’ refusal to quickly bail her out.
The assertion is contained in a court motion this week asking that a lawsuit by relatives of Sandra Bland be dismissed.
The 28-year-old Chicago-area woman was pulled over by a white Texas state trooper and when the traffic stop became a confrontation, she was arrested for assault and jailed.
Unable to meet the $500 bond requirement, she was found dead in jail three days later. Her family disputes a medical examiner’s finding of suicide.
Bland’s death came amid heightened national scrutiny of police and their dealings with black suspects.
