The Seattle Police Department confirmed the termination of police officer Daniel Auderer who was caught on body-worn police camera footage making callous remarks about Indian student Jahnavi Kandula who was hit and killed in January 2023 by a speeding Seattle police car. The 23-year-old was fatally struck in a Seattle crosswalk in January by a city police car on the way to a call.
Officer Daniel Auderer who was present at the scene of the crash, joked and laughed about Kandula’s death. He referred to her as “a regular person,” adding, “…just write a check — $11,000. She was 26. Anyway she had limited value.”
A year later that comment cost Auderer his job.
Seattle Interim Chief Sue Rahr announced her decision on July 17. The Office of Police Accountability stated that Auderre had acted unprofessionally. According to Seattle news station KING5, internal sources stated that interim Police Chief Sue Rahr first considered a 30-day suspension. She later decided on terminating the officer so she wouldn’t appear too lenient. In a letter to the Seattle Police Department, interim Police Chief Sue Rahr said the “impact” of Officer Daniel Auderer’s actions was “devastating.”
Rahr released a statement that read, “As I consider all of these factors, there is no doubt that the named police officer’s cruel comments and callous laughter about the tragic death caused deep pain to Kandula’s family, but also immeasurable damage to the public trust of police in the Seattle community, across the nation, and around the world.”
Jahnavi Kandula, from the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, was pursuing graduate studies in information systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus. Kevin Dave, the officer driving the car which hit Kandula will not face charges.