‘I fu*ked up’: US cop admits killing Indian student by mistake

In a shocking revelation, a Seattle police officer has admitted to making a fatal mistake that led to the death of an Indian student. The incident, which occurred recently, involved a 23-year-old Northeast University graduate student who was fatally struck by the officer's patrol car.

The officer, identified as Kevin Dave, was responding to a high-priority call when he hit the student, who was crossing the street at the time. The incident was captured on bodycam footage, which showed Dave driving at a speed of 74 miles per hour in a 25 miles per hour zone on January 23, New York Post reported. The sirens on his patrol car were only intermittently activated, contrary to standard procedure in such situations. He said, “I f**ked up”.

Following the incident, Dave admitted his error, stating that he had mistakenly plowed into the student without his siren fully activated. 

In another bodycam footage, Kevin said, “I can have a hundred minutes. I could have…there’s nothing for me to do right now, but sit. And that is the f–king worst thing that…you just have to sit here. So many questions that are unanswered, so many questions.” 

The victim, a young woman named Jaahnavi Kandula pursuing her Master's degree in Information Technology, had traveled from Bengaluru to study at the university. Her untimely death has left her family and friends devastated, and raised serious questions about police conduct and the safety of pedestrians in the city.

Jaahnavi’s family in January said they were “heartbroken” after the tragedy.“Jaahnavi’s tragic and untimely death has left her family and community with a huge hole in their hearts that will never be repaired,” the family said in a statement to KJR-FM radio. “She was a daughter to a single mother who teaches elementary school in India.”

“In spite of earning less than [$200] per month, her mother educated Jaahnavi and encouraged her to [travel to] the United States hoping Jaahnavi would have a better future and a better life abroad,” it said. “Her mother’s hopes and dreams are cut short now.”

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