The police officer in Seattle, USA, who fatally hit Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula with his patrol vehicle in January 2023, has been terminated from the police department, as announced on Tuesday.
A police vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave hit the 23-year-old graduate student from Andhra Pradesh while she was crossing a street in Seattle. He was traveling at over 119 km/h while heading to address a report of a drug overdose.
Kandula was propelled 100 feet when hit by the fast-moving police patrol car.
The police department indicated that it was not a deliberate action, but stressed that it cannot ignore the tragic outcomes of reckless driving.
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“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. 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,” Seattle interim police chief Sue Rahr said.
Kandula’s passing ignited fury, especially after footage from another officer’s body camera emerged, showing that officer laughing and implying Kandula’s life had “limited worth” and the city should “simply issue a check.” India requested a thorough inquiry into the event. The officer, Daniel Auderer, was dismissed earlier.
The prosecutors in King County initially asserted that there wasn’t enough evidence to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Dave was willfully neglecting safety during the crash that resulted in Kandula’s death. Subsequently, he faced a $5,000 fine for careless driving.
