It’s been two years since the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, and the officer driving the police vehicle that hit her has been fired.
In January 2023, the 23-year-old college student was struck by a car driven by Seattle cop Kevin Dave.
Another officer, Daniel Auderer, was fired in relation to Kandula’s death last year, but Dave was only dropped from the force on Monday (January 6).
While Auderer was not directly involved with the incident, disturbing bodycam footage heard him laughing after learning that Kandula was dead.
Wrongly stating that the student was 26, he said that she had ‘limited value’.
Auderer had been dispatched to determine whether Dave was impaired when he hit Kandula, according to NBC News.
He was let go from the force in July 2024 for his ‘callous laughter’ regarding Kandula’s passing.
Nowm Dave has been fired as well, after the Seattle Office of Police Accountability found he had violated four department policies.
Speaking about Dave’s recent dismissal, interim police chief Sue Rahr said in an email to employees: “I believe the officer did not intend to hurt anyone that night and that he was trying to get to a possible overdose victim as quickly as possible.
“However, I cannot accept the tragic consequences of his dangerous driving.”
The email went on, as per CNN: “His positive intent does not mitigate the poor decision that caused the loss of a human life and brought discredit to the Seattle Police Department.”
His firing comes after he and the police department were slapped with a huge $110 million lawsuit from Kandula’s family back in September.
The wrongful death and negligence lawsuit suit, filed in King County Superior Court, alleges that Kandula ‘experienced terror, severe emotional distress, and severe pain and suffering before dying’ from injuries suffered when she was struck by Dave’s speeding Seattle police SUV at an unregulated crosswalk, says The Seattle Times.
Dave was driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the incident, knocking Kandula nearly 137 feet.
The officer performed CPR on her after she was struck, but the college student later died at Harborview Medical Center.
The trail is set to begin in September of this year – a year on from the suit being filed.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email info@grievewell.com.
