A shocking video of a US cop has emerged, revealing his laughter and jokes about the tragic death of a young Indian woman caused by Officer Kevin Dave earlier this year. The Seattle Police Department released the footage from Officer Daniel Auderer’s body camera on Monday. In response, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco has expressed concerns over the treatment of Jaahnavi Kandula, an Indian-origin woman who was killed by a police vehicle, and has demanded a thorough investigation and appropriate action.
Who was Jaahnavi Kandula?
Jaahnavi Kandula, the daughter of a single mother, hailed from Andhra Pradesh. She was pursuing a master’s degree at Northeastern University in Seattle and had arrived in the US in 2021 from Bengaluru on a student exchange program. According to her uncle Ashok Mandula, Jaahnavi was set to graduate in December of this year.
What did the footage from Officer Daniel Auderer’s body camera reveal?
On January 23, Officer Kevin Dave struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula in a crosswalk. Dave was driving at a speed of 74 mph (119 km/h) while responding to an overdose call, as reported by The Seattle Times. Officer Auderer, who was assigned to assess whether Dave was impaired as a drug recognition expert, left his body-worn camera on during a subsequent phone call with the Seattle Police Officers Guild’s president, Mike Solan.
In the released recording, Auderer can be heard saying “she is dead” before breaking into laughter. He referred to Kandula as “No, it’s a regular person” and, amidst bursts of laughter, said “Yeah, just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway,” misstating the victim’s age. He further remarked, “She had limited value,” as reported by the New York Post via ANI.
Auderer expressed his belief that a criminal investigation was not being conducted, stating, “I mean, he was going 50 mph. That’s not out of control. That’s not reckless for a trained driver.” However, a police investigation report sent to prosecutors last month stated that Dave had been driving at 74 mph, causing Kandula to be thrown over 100 feet upon impact.
Indian demand for a probe:
India has strongly raised this issue with US authorities, urging a thorough investigation and appropriate action against those responsible for the incident.
The Consulate General of India in San Francisco expressed deep concerns about the incident in a post on X. It stated, “Recent reports, including in the media, about the handling of Ms. Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in a road accident in Seattle in January, are deeply troubling. We have strongly raised this matter 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.”
(With inputs from PTI, Associated Press, ANI)
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Updated: 14 Sep 2023, 12:37 PM IST
