‘She had limited value’: US cop caught on cam joking over Indian student’s death

A probe has been launched against a Seattle cop after bodycam footage showed him joking and laughing over the death of an Indian-origin woman who was killed by a police car in January this year.

In the clip that was released on Monday (Sept 11), officer Daniel Auderer can be heard joking that the student, Jaahnavi Kandula, had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check".

“She is dead,” Auderer says before bursting out laughing. “No, it’s a regular person,” he says, referring to Kandula, according to New York Post.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

“Yeah, just write a check. 11,000 dollars. She was 26 anyway,” he said, misstating the victim’s age. “She had limited value.”

The video was released by the Seattle police department “in the interest of transparency”.

Kandula, a native of Andhra Pradesh, was struck and killed by Officer Kevin Dave, a colleague of Auderer, on January 23.

Auderer, who serves as the Seattle Police Guild’s vice president, further claims that he did not believe a criminal investigation was being conducted.

“I mean, he was going 50 mph. That’s not out of control. That’s not reckless for a trained driver,” Auderer said.

But a report released in June revealed that Dave was in fact driving 74 mph in a 25-mph zone while responding to a different “high-priority” call, local news outlet KIRO 7 reported.

The Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) condemned the incident after the video was released, calling the conversation between Auderer and his colleague, "heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive."

''The people of Seattle deserve better from a police department that is charged with fostering trust with the community and ensuring public safety,'' the CPC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Seattle police department has said that the matter is being probed by the Police Accountability Office, and that it won’t make any statement until the probe concludes.

Jaahnavi arrived in Seattle in 2021 to receive a master’s degree, and was pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems at the College of Engineering. She was set to graduate this December.

The police patrol, which was being driven at top speed, ran over her at the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street, Fox13 Seattle reported.

She was taken to Harborview Medical Center where she succumbed to theinjuries sustained in the accident.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE