Seattle cop who laughed at Indian student's death fired
A Seattle police officer, Daniel Auderer, whose inappropriate comments and laughter on the death of an Indian student had caused outrage, has been dismissed. Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was hit by a police vehicle driven by another officer, Kevin Dave, while crossing a street on January 23. Dave was driving at 74 mph (over 119 km/h) en route to a drug overdose call when Kandula was hit by his speeding patrol vehicle and thrown 100 feet upon impact.
Officer's disturbing remarks captured on bodycam
In the bodycam footage released by Seattle Police Department, Auderer is heard laughing about the tragic incident and making insensitive remarks. He can be heard saying, "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." He continued, "She was 26 anyway. She had limited value." Following these comments, Auderer reportedly "laughed hard for four seconds," as per the Disciplinary Action Report.
Trigger warning: Bodycam footage released by Seattle Police Department
Interim chief condemns Auerder's actions
Interim Chief Sue Rahr of the Seattle Police Department addressed the incident in an internal email. She said Auderer's words have caused pain to Kandula's family that "cannot be erased." Auderer's actions have brought shame to the Seattle Police Department and their entire profession, she added. "For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonor to the entire department. For that reason, I am going to terminate his employment," she said.
Officer's guild defends Auderer
The Seattle Police Officers's Guild defended Auderer, claiming his remarks were taken out of context and that viral videos fail to show the full story. In a letter last year, Auderer explained he laughed at how incidents are litigated, believing the conversation was private. Meanwhile, Northeastern University awarded a posthumous master's degree to Kandula. University Chancellor Kenneth W Henderson expressed solidarity with the Indian student community and hoped that justice would prevail for Kandula.
'Collision due to high speed'
To recall, local media reports had said, the collision was caused due to the vehicle's high speed, which did not allow sufficient time to both Dave and Kandula to avoid a hazard. Dave was responding to a "priority one" call at the request of the Seattle Fire Department when the incident took place. Although the officer did not have his siren activated continuously, he "chirped" it at the intersection and had his emergency lights on, police had said.
