- Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The development comes weeks after the local South Asian community sought action against the officer.
By: Shubham Ghosh
IN a major development in the case related to the death of an Indian student after she was hit by a speeding police patrol car in Seattle in January this year, the officer from the city police who joked about the death of the 23-year-old student, has been pulled off patrol duty.
The development comes weeks after the local South Asian community sought action against the officer.
Jaahnavi Kandula, who was due to complete her graduation in December this year, was killed by an over-speeding police car while crossing a street. The department on Thursday (28) confirmed by email that officer Daniel Auderer “has been administratively reassigned to a non-operational position,” said a report in The Seattle Times.
Auderer was a member of the Seattle Police Department’s traffic squad and vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild.
The department had released footage from a bodycam earlier this month in which Auderer can be seen laughing about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication that another officer, Kevin Dave, might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary, the report said.
Dave was responding to a report of an overdose and driving at 74 miles per hour (mph) (about 119 kilometres per hour) in a 25-mph zone when he struck Kandula, who was thrown more than 100 feet.
The video footage showed Auderer, who was involved in the investigation, calling Kandula a “regular person” and suggesting that the department “write a check”.
“USD 11,000. She was 26 anyway,” he said, misstating Kandula’s age.
“She had limited value,” Auderer is seen as saying.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case, considering whether to pursue charges against Dave, The Seattle Times report said.
About 15 days ago, the Seattle Community Police Commission recommended the city police chief to relieve Auderer from duty and withhold his pay.
Earlier last week, about 25 members of the Hindu community had organised a prayer ceremony for Kandula under a cloudy sky at Denny Park in Seattle.
The Shanti Puja, a Hindu prayer ceremony, is performed to invoke peace and blessings for the departed soul.
The consulate general of India in San Francisco earlier this month had voiced its concern over the handling of Kandula’s death as “deeply troubling.”
“We have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC for a thorough investigation & action against those involved in this tragic case. The Consulate & Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities,” the mission had posted on X, formerly Twitter.
(With PTI inputs)
