Sandra Bland's Family File Wrongful Death Suit

The family of a black Texas woman found dead in her jail cell after her arrest for a minor traffic offence have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Sandra Bland's relatives say officer Brian Encinia showed a "deliberate indifference to and conscious disregard for the constitutional rights and safety" of the 28-year-old.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, also names the Texas Department of Public Safety, Waller County Sheriff's Office and two warders in the Hempstead prison where Ms Bland was held.

She used a rubbish bag to hang herself from the ceiling of her cell, three days after she was stopped on 10 July for not signalling before a lane change, say officials.

Bland family lawyer Cannon Lambert told a news conference in Houston: "The reason that we filed a lawsuit today was because, candidly, we've been unable to get many of the answers that we've been asking for, for weeks."

Mr Lambert said the lawsuit seeks to hold authorities accountable.

"Mr Encinia is still employed, and it just doesn't make sense that taxpayers will be paying for the type of service that he offered on July 10," he added.

Mr Encinia is on administrative leave after a preliminary investigation accused him of breaking traffic stop and courtesy protocols when he pulled over Ms Bland.

Authorities have released the findings of a post-mortem examination, surveillance video showing Ms Bland being booked into the jail, her jail admission records and other material.

But Ms Bland's family - who question the official account of her death - say more information is needed, such as full toxicology results and her time of death.

Sandra Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, told reporters her daughter shouldn't even have been arrested.

"The bottom line is that she never should shave been inside the jail, period," she said.

The mother reportedly left the news conference after a reporter asked why the family did not bail her out of jail, calling the question "insulting".