Seattle cop who killed student, 23, at crosswalk learns fate as he’s hit by $110m lawsuit

The Seattle police officer who struck and killed a student in a crosswalk has been fired and is now facing a massive lawsuit.

Northeastern University student Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was struck by a Seattle Police SUV driven by Officer Kevin Dave in September 2023 while crossing a crosswalk near campus.

Now Dave and the Seattle Police Department are facing a $110 million lawsuit following Dave’s dismissal from the force on Monday.

The lawsuit, filed by attorneys for Kandula’s family, seeks more than $110 million and says the victim experienced terror, severe emotional distress and pain and suffering before her death, the newspaper said. KOMO news.

Dave had responded to a ‘priority one’ call to assist a man who had overdosed on drugs but did not need to be taken to hospital.

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability found that Dave had violated multiple SPD policies, including obeying laws, operating a vehicle safely; and the use of emergency lighting for emergency assistance, among other things.

‘Just as I have done in the past, I want the members of the SPD to hear directly from me why I made that decision. “I believe the officer had no intention of hurting anyone that night and was trying to reach a possible overdose victim as quickly as possible,” said Interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr.

‘However, I cannot accept the tragic consequences of his dangerous driving. His positive intentions do not mitigate the poor decision that caused the loss of life and discredited the Seattle Police Department,” she added.

It was determined that Dave struck Kandula while driving 60 mph in a 25 mph zone, traveling at a speed of 75 mph, according to investigators.

Since her death, organizations such as Indian American Community Services have called for widespread police reform.

“It’s not fair to say that you fire an officer and let him take care of things,” Lalita Uppala of IACS told KOMO. That’s not what we asked for. We asked for clarity and guidelines.’

In March 2024, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office issued a $5.00 traffic ticket against Dave. According to an investigation report, the officer had not activated his siren at the time of the collision, with Kandula determined to have had the right of way.

Instead, the officer “beeped” at the intersection with his emergency lights on, Seattle police said.

In February 2024, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced its decision not to file criminal charges against Dave, ruling that there was “a lack of sufficient evidence under Washington state law to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt ‘.

Nine days later, he was issued the $5,000 traffic violation.

Kandula’s story made national and international headlines after body camera footage was released of a responding officer making vile comments about the victim.

Calls to fire Detective Daniel Auderer were made after he was heard suggesting that police could “write a check” to Kandula’s family for $11,000, noting that “it had limited value.”

Later, in July, Rahr announced that Auderer had been fired after previously being reassigned to a “non-operational position.”

“Allowing the officer to remain on our force would only mean more shame for the entire department,” she wrote in an internal email. KUOW.

“I choose to share the outcome of this case with all of you because the far-reaching impact of the officer’s actions has an impact on all of us, not only as members of the Seattle Police Department, but also on the law enforcement profession . she added.

After the body camera footage became public, Auderer emphasized in a letter to the Office of Police Accountability that he was not making fun of Kandula’s death but instead wanted to “ridicule lawyers.”

“I laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are being tried and the ridiculousness of how I watched these incidents unfold as two sides negotiate a tragedy,” he wrote.

Auderer acknowledged in the statement that anyone who listened only to his side of the conversation “would be justified in believing that I was insensitive to the loss of life.”

The comment was “not made with malice or a hard heart,” he said, but “quite the opposite.”

But in January, the Office of Police Accountability ruled he violated police standards when he made “dehumanizing” comments and laughed.

Dave’s resignation comes a month after the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression renewed calls for his resignation and criminal conviction, KOMO reported.

It also comes a week after Dave was found in court for negligent driving on the night he hit Kandula.

Kandula’s family says her death has left a “big hole” in the hearts of people who knew her.

‘We are truly heartbroken. Jaahnavi was a brilliant student with a bright future. Jaahnavi’s smile beamed and her bubbly personality warmed the hearts of everyone she came in contact with. She had an innate ability to connect with people from all walks of life,” they said in a statement.

“Jaahnavi’s tragic and untimely death has left her family and community with a huge hole in their hearts that will never be repaired. She was the daughter of a single mother who teaches at a primary school in India,” she added.

“Despite earning less than $200 a month, her mother educated Jaahnavi and encouraged her to come to the United States in hopes that Jaahnavi would have a better future and a better life abroad. Her mother’s hopes and dreams have now been shattered.”