- By Aashish Vashistha
- Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:05 AM (IST)
- Source:PTI
Jaahnavi Kandula's Death: A Seattle police officer has been fired for his insensitive remarks and laughter following the death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula. 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula was struck by a police vehicle driven by Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave as she was crossing a street on January 23. Dave was en route to a report of a drug overdose call when he reached 74 mph (more than 119 km/h). The police patrol car hit Kandula, who was thrown 100 feet in the air.
Officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and said, “Uh, I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car...But she is dead.” The Disciplinary report against Ayderer mentioned that he “laughed hard for four seconds,” after making these remarks.
Meanwhile, in an internal email, Seattle Police Department Interim Chief Sue Rahr stated that hat the harm Auderer's remarks have caused to Kandula's family "cannot be erased." “The actions of this individual police officer have disgraced the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult,” she said.
"For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonour to the entire department. For that reason, I am going to terminate his employment," Rahr said in the internal email seen by PTI.
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Kandula received a posthumous master's degree from Northeastern University. Chancellor Kenneth W Henderson had also conveyed his support for the Indian student community and his hope that the current investigations would bring justice to them. He also recalled Jaahnavi’s humour and infectious personality, stating her loss deeply affects students, staff, and faculty. Henderson also condemned the insensitive remarks made by a Seattle police officer after the accident.
