Texas state trooper in Sandra Bland arrest fired

AUSTIN, Texas, March 3 (UPI) -- The Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland three days before she was found hanged in her jail cell was formally fired Thursday.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw upheld the preliminary decision to terminate the employment of Brian Encinia, who may still appeal the decision to the Texas Public Safety Commission, a five-person oversight board.

Encinia arrested Bland on July 10, 2015 after a traffic stop in Prarie View, Texas, charging her with failure to use her turn signal. She was jailed and found hanged in her cell three days later, the police calling her death a suicide. A grand jury indicted Encinia on perjury charges in January, saying it didn't believe his statement that he removed Bland from her car to conduct a safety traffic investigation.

There were no charges resulting from Bland's death.

Bland's family members and protesters allege she was a victim of police brutality and racism. Bland was an outspoken online supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement before her arrest.