Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
The Texas state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland, the black woman who was later found hanged in jail cell, was officially fired Wednesday. The Texas Department of Public Safety announced Brian Encinia was formally terminated after he was unable to rebut disciplinary charges brought against him in January. He was accused of failing to act courteously during Bland’s July traffic stop, prolonging her detention, violating general orders, and perjury. Encinia stopped Bland for failing to signal a lane change and arrested her after a heated confrontation. Bland was found hanged in her Waller County jail cell several days later, raising speculation over the circumstances surrounding her death and adding to a national debate about police brutality.