Jaahnavi Kandula death: 'There is much more details...,' Seattle cops defend officer amid uproar over video

The Seattle Police Officers' Guild on Friday said that there is "much more detail and nuance" to bodycam footage that captures one of its officials making insensitive comments about the death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula early this year.

A student at Washington's Northeastern University, Kandula was struck by officer Kevin Dave at a pedestrian crossing on the night of January 23, 2023. Reportedly, he was driving at a speed of more than 119 kmh on the way to a report of a drug overdose call.

Months later, there was an uproar over the incident after the Seattle Police Department earlier this week released a bodycam footage in which one of its officers, Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary.

In the video, Auderer can be heard saying, "Yeah, just write a cheque. USD 11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value."

"The Seattle Police Officers’ Guild understands the attention and outrage surrounding the viral video which captures highly insensitive comments regarding the death of Jaahnavi Kandula by Officer Dan Auderer. Without context, this audio is horrifying and has no place in a civil society," Seattle Police Officers' Guild said.

However, it added that the video captures only one side of the conversation. "There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet,"it said in a statement as it also showcased a letter written by its officer Auderer in which the latter is saying that he intended the comment as a mockery of lawyers.

Auderer, in his letter letter to Gino Betts, director Office of Police Accountability, said he laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are litigated and the ridiculousness of how he has watched these incidents play out as two parties bargain over a tragedy.

"At the time I believed the conversation was private and not being recorded. The conversation was also not within the course of my duties," he said in a letter dated August 3.

Auderer said he does understand that if a citizen were to hear it that they would rightfully believe he was being insensitive to the loss of a human life. "I also understand that if heard it could diminish the trust in the Seattle Police Department and make all of our jobs more difficult. With all of that being said the comment was not made with malice or a hard heart, quite the opposite," he said.

"My intent in requesting rapid adjudication is to be as transparent as possible. I am willing to accept any reasonable discipline our accountability partners and the Chief of Police wish to hand down," Auderer added.

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