Seattle police officer who fatally struck Indian student fired from department

Seattle/Las Vegas: In a significant development, a Seattle police officer who killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in January 2023 when the patrol vehicle he was driving struck her, has been fired from the police department, officials said.

Kandula, 23, from Andhra Pradesh, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave when she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23, 2023. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 km/h) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call.

Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle.

According to a report in The Seattle Times on Monday, Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr said that she had fired Dave from the Seattle Police Department.

The report, citing an email sent by Rahr to employees, said she fired Dave on Monday after the Seattle Office of Police Accountability found he had violated four department policies.

“I believe the officer did not intend to hurt anyone that night and that he was trying to get to a possible overdose victim as quickly as possible,” Rahr said.

“However, I cannot accept the tragic consequences of his dangerous driving. His positive intent does not mitigate the poor decision that caused the loss of human life and brought discredit to the Seattle Police Department,” the report said.

The development comes months after another Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer was fired following his insensitive comments and laughter after Kandula’s death.

In bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department, Auderer was heard laughing after the deadly crash and had remarked “Uh, I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car...But she is dead.” After making these comments, Auderer “laughed hard for four seconds,” the department’s Disciplinary Action Report said.

Auderer’s body-worn camera also captured him as saying that “Yeah, just write a check. Just, yeah (laughter). $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.” When asked at an Office of Police Accountability interview about his comments that Kandula had “limited value”, Auderer claimed he was “ridiculing the city attorneys who would be tasked with litigating a potential wrongful death lawsuit.” Rahr had said in an internal email, seen by PTI, that the hurt Auderer’s words inflicted on Kandula’s family “cannot be erased.

The actions (of) this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.” The King County Prosecutor's Office had said that they would not move forward with criminal charges against Dave. The Seattle City Attorney had issued a $5,000 traffic infraction against him, according to KomoNews.

The Consulate General of India in Seattle had been working consistently with authorities and law enforcement officials to ensure justice in the case. They have been in regular touch with Kandula’s family representatives and had said that it would continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Kandula and her family. The Consulate said that it would continue to monitor the progress of the case.