A US police officer has been fired from the Seattle Police Department after making insensitive comments following the death of a 23-year-old Indian student.
Jaahnavi Kandula was struck by a speeding police vehicle driven by Seattle police officer Kevin Dave while crossing a street on January 23 last year. Dave was driving over 119 kmph to respond to a drug overdose call. Kandula was thrown 100 feet when hit by the speeding police patrol vehicle.
Bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department captured Officer Daniel Auderer laughing after the crash and remarking: “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.” Auderer then laughed for four seconds, according to the department's Disciplinary Action Report.
Auderer's body-worn camera also recorded him saying, “Yeah, just write a check. Just, yeah (laughter). USD 11,000 (£8,462). She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.” When asked about his comments at an Office of Police Accountability interview, Auderer claimed he was ridiculing the city attorneys who would handle a potential wrongful death lawsuit.
Seattle interim police chief Sue Rahr said in an internal email that Auderer's words had caused significant hurt to Kandula's family and brought shame on the department and the policing profession. She emphasised the importance of maintaining public trust and said that keeping the officer on the force would further dishonor the department. Therefore, she decided to terminate his employment.
Rahr noted the challenge of balancing intent versus impact in this case. She acknowledged that Auderer's comments and laughter caused deep pain to Kandula's family and damaged public trust in the police. The case, which has received extensive media and diplomatic attention, prompted Rahr to explain her disciplinary decision to the entire organisation.
Rahr pointed out that even individuals who are typically pro-police found Auderer's dehumanizing laughter more disturbing than Kandula's death. She stressed that police authority relies on public trust, which was betrayed by Auderer's comments.
In February, the King County Prosecutor's Office decided not to pursue criminal charges against Dave, issuing a USD 5,000 (£3,849) traffic infraction instead. King County prosecuting attorney Leesa Manion explained that there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt.
(With PTI inputs)
Michael Gove
Jeremy Hunt
