This police officer says he was told he'd lose his career if he told the truth about Sandra Bland

A police officer named Michael Kelley from Prairie View, Texas — the small town where Sandra Bland died last year under disputed circumstances — says he was forced to suppress evidence of departmental wrongdoing pertaining to Bland's death.

By Kelley's account, the top Waller County prosecutor refused to let him testify before a grand jury to share observations Kelley believes could have helped produce an indictment. In a recorded phone conversation, Kelley describes threats of retaliation including loss of his career should he speak out about having observed marks on Bland's forehead after the traffic stop as well as debates among fellow officers about how to charge Bland after she had already been arrested.

Waller County District Attorney Elton Mathis categorically denied all Kelley's allegations. When the grand jury deliberations concluded last December, no one was indicted in connection with Bland's death. Meanwhile, Kelley himself is now suspended from the police department after he was caught on camera using a stun gun on a local city official who, like Bland, was African-American.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up