AUSTIN, Texas — Sandra Bland's mother, Geneva Reed-Veal, sat quietly in the audience at Friday's contentious legislative hearing.
But her mere presence spoke volumes as lawmakers grilled those who investigated her daughter's arrest and death – and who the family and their attorney insist never turned over the cellphone video Bland recorded of her confrontation with a then-Texas DPS trooper in 2015.
"I still have a lot going on [in] my head as to what I saw today. There's a lot of notes that I had to take. And I have to tell you, I still have some questions," Reed-Veal said.
Her questions go far beyond why she never saw the video recently reported by the Investigative Network during her civil lawsuit against former DPS trooper Brian Encina.
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Now she, along with lawmakers, said Friday's testimony from DPS and the Attorney General's Office has raised more questions than answers about the handling of the video.
DPS officials admit they did not turn the video over during the family's lawsuit, but instead claim attorneys representing Waller County did.
"I have to review what I have to take it all in. But, what I can tell you is, there was a lot of contradictions in that room. There were a lot of contradictions in that room. And hopefully, as this continues on, we’ll see what the contradictions are," Reed-Veal said.
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Reed-Veal said she's glad Houston-area Representative Garnet Coleman and other lawmakers are now determined to find out exactly what happened.
But it's also bittersweet.
“It brings back anger. It brings different things that I had not visited for a while. So, it brings anger, it does. I have to be honest with you," Reed-Veal said.
For the first time since it was revealed by the Investigative Network, Reed-Veal gave her thoughts on what she says the video shows.
"It shows Encinia lied. He lied. That’s what it shows," Reed-Veal said. "It shows there was an opportunity to handle this the right way. And, that opportunity was not taken."
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