Sandra Bland: CCTV Footage From Jail Released

Several hours of video footage showing Sandra Bland alive in jail have been released by officials in Texas – in a bid to quash online rumours that she died before arriving there.

The unedited recording shows Ms Bland - who was found hanged in her cell following an apparent suicide on 13 July - speaking to a jail worker and making a phone call.

Amid speculation the 28-year-old's body was placed on the jail's floor so a mugshot could be taken, the CCTV footage also shows Ms Bland standing up for the photograph.

Ms Bland, a black woman, was arrested on 10 July for a minor traffic offence and her death in custody has led activists to claim it is another example of police brutality against minorities.

Judge Trey Duhon has confirmed several Waller County officials have received death threats over the case, and the FBI is investigating the most serious.

"This is Sandra Bland. There's no other way around it. This video has not been altered or doctored in any way. These are the raw files.

"There's no footage that indicates to me that Ms Bland was treated unfairly or was mishandled or mistreated in any way, shape or form while she was in the Waller County Jail."

Ms Bland, who was from suburban Chicago, had been stopped by Officer Brian Encinia for failing to signal a lane change near Prairie View, Texas.

She was taken into custody after the incident escalated, and was facing allegations that she had kicked the state trooper in the shin.

Earlier this week, Houston station KTRK-TV released a voicemail that Ms Bland left a friend while in jail, in which she calmly expressed her frustration.

In the message, she said she is "still just at a loss for words honestly at this whole process".

She added: "How did switching lanes with no signal turn into all of this?"

On Monday, an initial toxicology report was released, which suggested that Ms Bland had "a substantial amount of marijuana in her system".

The county's sheriff has also confirmed that Ms Bland was not placed on suicide watch despite her telling them she had previously tried to take her own life with pills after losing a baby.

His office has admitted violating state rules on jail training and monitoring inmates.