Jaahnavi Kandula death: Police officer involved faces no charges due to lack of 'sufficient' evidence

The Seattle police officer who struck and killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula will not face any criminal charges due to lack of 'sufficient' evidence, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office. Officer Kevin Dave was responding to a drug overdose call when he hit Kandula, who was crossing a street in Seattle, on January 23, news agency PTI reported.

The officer was driving 74 mph or more than 119 kmph during the time of the incident. Jaahnavi Kandula was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle, the King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion's Office said in a statement released on Wednesday. 

As per the Seattle media, Dave did not have his siren activated continuously. The officer "chirped" his siren at the intersection instead. He, however, did have emergency lights on.

Prosecutors said in a memo to the Seattle Police there was not enough evidence to prove Dave showed "conscious disregard for others' safety". 

Bodycam footage revealed Officer Daniel Auderer laughing about the incident and dismissing the need for a criminal investigation. Despite finding Auderer's comments 'appalling and deeply troubling', the prosecutor's office stated it lacked the evidence to prove a criminal case against Dave beyond a reasonable doubt.

Auderer, who was not involved in the collision, was captured in the video and can be heard saying, "But she is dead", and laughing on the phone. "She was 26 anyway," Audurer said in the video. "She has limited value." "Officer Audurer's comments were also unprofessional and undermined the public's trust in the Seattle Police Department and law enforcement in general," the statement read. 

He has been pulled from patrol in September 2023 and was reassigned to a "non-operational position". Audurer's chain of command of command and the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found that he acted unprofessionally.

He could still be dismissed following his insensitive comments. Before any final decision, Daniel Audurer will have the chance to meet with Police Chief Adrian Diaz to disagree. A disciplinary hearing is scheduled for March 4. 

Jaahnavi Kandula was a graduation student at the Northeastern University at the Seattle campus. The university had said they would award her degree posthumously and present it to the family. 

(With PTI inputs)