Jaahnavi Kandula death: Kin of Indian student, killed by US police officer, awarded $29mn settlement

The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $29 million to Jaahnavi Kandula’s family after the 23-year-old Indian student was killed by a speeding police car

The US police officer who had struck and killed a 23-year-old Indian student, Jaahnavi Kandula, with his over-speeding police vehicle in January 2023 has now been fired by the interim police chief of Seattle city. Sue Rahr Monday (Jan 6) in an email told employees that Kevin Dave was fired after it was revealed in the Seattle Office of Police Accountability&rsquo;s findings that he had breached at least four department policies.
&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Rahr wrote. &ldquo;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 a human life and brought discredit to the Seattle Police Department,&rdquo; she added.
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The action against Dave comes almost a year after he was acquitted by King County prosecutors in February 2024, who said there was no evidence he was impaired or driving recklessly in the fatal collision. The prosecutors however found that Dave was cruising at a speed of 120 kmph on a street with a speed limit of just 40 kmph while responding to an overdose call.
<h2>Jaahnavi Kandula&rsquo;s death had sparked international outrage</h2>
The fatal collision snowballed into an international crisis for the Seattle police department after bodycam footage showed another cop present at the scene callously laughing and mocking Jaahnavi Kandula&rsquo;s death. The officer, identified as Daniel Auderer, had said that Kandula&rsquo;s life "had limited value&rdquo; and the city should &ldquo;just write a check.&rdquo;
Later, Seattle&rsquo;s civilian watchdog found that Auderer&rsquo;s comments damaged the department&rsquo;s reputation and undermined public trust. Auderer was also fired by the police department on July 17 last year.
&ldquo;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,&rdquo; said Sue Rahr at the time.
(With inputs from agencies)

World | The action against the police officer comes almost a year after he was acquitted by prosecutors in February 2024, who said there was no evidence he was impaired.

The US police officer who had struck and killed a 23-year-old Indian student, Jaahnavi Kandula, with his over-speeding police vehicle in January 2023 has now been fired by the interim police chief of Seattle city. Sue Rahr Monday (Jan 6) in an email told employees that Kevin Dave was fired after it was revealed in the Seattle Office of Police Accountability’s findings that he had breached at least 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 wrote. “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 a human life and brought discredit to the Seattle Police Department,” she added. Also read: New Orleans terror attack victims' stories: 'He said he'll be alright, but...' The action against Dave comes almost a year after he was acquitted by King County prosecutors in February 2024, who said there was no evidence he was impaired or driving recklessly in the fatal collision. The prosecutors however found that Dave was cruising at a speed of 120 kmph on a street with a speed limit of just 40 kmph while responding to an overdose call. Jaahnavi Kandula’s death had sparked international outrage The fatal collision snowballed into an international crisis for the Seattle police department after bodycam footage showed another cop present at the scene callously laughing and mocking Jaahnavi Kandula’s death. The officer, identified as Daniel Auderer, had said that Kandula’s life "had limited value” and the city should “just write a check.” Later, Seattle’s civilian watchdog found that Auderer’s comments damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust. Auderer was also fired by the police department on July 17 last year. “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,” said Sue Rahr at the time. (With inputs from agencies)

US cop who killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula with speeding vehicle now fired

Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer has been fired from the department, a year after he was seen making callous remarks following the death of an Indian student.

Auderer faced criticism after body camera footage captured him making insensitive comments about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India, who was fatally struck by another officer's vehicle in a crosswalk.&nbsp;

In the&nbsp;bodycam footage, Auderer was recorded joking and laughing about Kandula's death, suggesting that her life had "limited value" and that the city should "just write a check" as compensation.

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The Seattle Police Department confirmed the development to WION, providing a copy of the department's Disciplinary Action Report.&nbsp;

Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr, in an internal email explaining the reason for Auderer's termination, stated, "the hurt his words have inflicted on Ms. 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 internal mail, a copy of which has been seen by WION pointed, "The officer’s laughter and callous comments about the “limited value” of Ms. Kandula’s life displayed a cruel mockery of the sanctity of her life".

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Pointing&nbsp;to the implication&nbsp;the comment made by Auderer had, the police chief&nbsp;said,&nbsp;"it is a betrayal of that sacred trust. Not only did his comments irrevocably break the public’s trust in the officer, individually, but they caused extreme damage to the public’s trust of the entire Seattle Police Department."

The termination is seen as a form of justice for Kandula, albeit over a year later. Jaahnavi Kandula, a resident of Andhra Pradesh, lost her life on January 23, 2023. The incident sparked controversy and protests due to the initial police response and the subsequent revelations about the circumstances surrounding her death.

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Rahr in her email acknowledged the far-reaching consequences of Auderer's actions on the "public trust" on the law enforcement authorities. "There is no doubt that the named officer’s cruel comments and callous laughter about the tragic death caused deep pain to Ms. Kandula’s family, but also immeasurable damage to the public trust of police in the Seattle community, across the nation, and around the world", she said.&nbsp;

Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer has been fired from the department, a year after he was seen making callous remarks following the death of an Indian student.

Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer has been fired from the department, a year after he was seen making callous remarks following the death of an Indian student. Auderer faced criticism after body camera footage captured him making insensitive comments about the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India, who was fatally struck by another officer's vehicle in a crosswalk. In the bodycam footage, Auderer was recorded joking and laughing about Kandula's death, suggesting that her life had "limited value" and that the city should "just write a check" as compensation. Also read: Florida man arrested after making death threats against Biden The Seattle Police Department confirmed the development to WION, providing a copy of the department's Disciplinary Action Report. Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr, in an internal email explaining the reason for Auderer's termination, stated, "the hurt his words have inflicted on Ms. 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 internal mail, a copy of which has been seen by WION pointed, "The officer’s laughter and callous comments about the “limited value” of Ms. Kandula’s life displayed a cruel mockery of the sanctity of her life". Watch | Video shows Trump shooter suspiciously scouting the area before attack Pointing to the implication the comment made by Auderer had, the police chief said, "it is a betrayal of that sacred trust. Not only did his comments irrevocably break the public’s trust in the officer, individually, but they caused extreme damage to the public’s trust of the entire Seattle Police Department." The termination is seen as a form of justice for Kandula, albeit over a year later. Jaahnavi Kandula, a resident of Andhra Pradesh, lost her life on January 23, 2023. The incident sparked controversy and protests due to the initial police response and the subsequent revelations about the circumstances surrounding her death. × Rahr in her email acknowledged the far-reaching consequences of Auderer's actions on the "public trust" on the law enforcement authorities. "There is no doubt that the named officer’s cruel comments and callous laughter about the tragic death caused deep pain to Ms. Kandula’s family, but also immeasurable damage to the public trust of police in the Seattle community, across the nation, and around the world", she said.

Jaahnavi Kandula death: Police officer fired for callous remarks on bodycam

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Jaahnavi Kandula death: Kin of Indian student, killed by US police officer, awarded $29mn settlement

US cop who killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula with speeding vehicle now fired

Jaahnavi Kandula death: Police officer fired for callous remarks on bodycam