New bodycam footage has revealed the moment a Seattle police officer laughed callously and said the life of a Northeastern University student who was mowed down by a police car had “limited value.”
Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was struck by a speeding Seattle Police SUV on Jan. 23 as she crossed a heavily marked crosswalk near her campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood.
Detective Daniel Auderer — who was not in the car that hit the student but responded to the scene — said police can simply “write a check” after the murder of graduate student Kandula.
He cackled and downplayed her death while on the phone with his colleague, whose side of the conversation was not recorded.
In the unearthed bodycam, Auderer said, “Yeah, just write a check. $11,000. She was 26 after all. She had limited value.’
Ms Kandula’s family said her death left a “big hole” in the hearts of people who knew her. She was struck by a speeding Seattle Police SUV on Jan. 23 as she crossed a heavily marked crosswalk near her campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood.
New bodycam footage has revealed the moment a Seattle police officer laughed callously and said the life of a Northeastern University student who was mowed down by a police car had “limited value.”
He was also heard saying, “I mean, he was going 50 (mph). That has not gotten out of hand. That’s not reckless for a trained driver.”
The officer driving the car, Officer Kevin Dave, was actually doing 75mph in a 25mph zone before crashing into Jaahnavi Kandula.
Auderer is a drug recognition officer, who was assigned to determine if Dave was under the influence. He concluded that his colleague was sober.
After completing his analysis, he called Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, and the pair spoke for two minutes — which is the basis for the recently released bodycam footage.
Seattle police said the video of Auderer laughing was spotted by an employee during a routine traffic stop.
Kandula was crossing the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street, near the university campus, in January when she was thrown 100 feet into the air. She died in hospital a day later.
Driver Dave was heard calling the radio for backup after reports of a pedestrian being struck. He was seen resuscitating the young woman until several other first responders arrived on the scene.
Detective Daniel Auderer is a drug recognition officer, who was assigned to determine if Dave was under the influence. He concluded that his colleague was sober. He is heard laughing in the clip
Footage from the scene shows Office Kevin Dave performing CPR on the victim moments after he hit her with his cruiser. She died the next day
Police ruled the incident an accident and the officer returned to duty days later.
The intersection’s crosswalks are heavily marked by bright yellow reflective indicators, a large neon sign and are surrounded by bike lanes and a wide median.
The officer was heard on a separate bodycam telling a responding officer, “The lights were on. I chirped the sirens…she was standing in the crosswalk’
‘She saw me and started running across the crosswalk. Hit my breaks. She stayed where she was supposed to before crossing.”
The video showed the officer driving through a red light and slowing down slightly before hitting the young woman.
Dave was on his way to a priority one call, classified as the highest number of calls, according to the police department. The call was regarding a man who had overdosed on drugs but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
Video footage shows the officer behind the wheel driving at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour in a 40 kilometer per hour zone
The officer in the collision was identified as Kevin Dave, who has been with the Seattle Police Department since 2019. After the crash he speaks with other officers.
Following the release of the new bodycam video, the clip was referred to the Office of Police Accountability for investigation.
The Community Police Commission said in a statement following the officer’s horrific comments: “This speaks to the concerns the Seattle Community Police Commission has repeatedly raised about elements of the Seattle Police Department’s culture and SPOG’s opposition to officer accountability measures included in the 2017 milestone Police Accountability Ordinance.
“Seattle residents deserve better from a police department charged with promoting community trust and ensuring public safety.”
Ms. Kandula was a graduate student about to receive her master’s degree in information systems. Her family remembered her as a “brilliant” person.
Her family said her death left a “big hole” in the hearts of people who knew her.
Twenty-three-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula was a graduate student about to receive her master’s degree in information systems from Northeastern University
‘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 taught at a primary school in India.
“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.”
A GoFundMe was set up to help her family pay Ms. Kandula’s hospital bills, as well as the student loans she took out for her education.