Bodycam footage shows US officer ‘laughing’ after killing Indian‑American student

The tragic death of 23‑year‑old Indian‑American graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula has become a major legal and public relations issue for the Seattle Police Department, culminating in a $29 million settlement with her family.Kandula was from India and studying for a master’s degree in information systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus. She was struck and killed by a speeding Seattle police officer’s vehicle in January 2023 as she crossed a street in a marked crosswalk. Her body was thrown about 100 feet. The officer, Kevin Dave, was driving as fast as 74 miles per hour (120 km/ph) in a 25‑mph zone while responding to a drug overdose call, with emergency lights and siren activated.At the time, the deadly collision drew significant attention because of how it happened and what followed. A body camera recording later emerged showing another Seattle police officer, Daniel Auderer, laughing about Kandula’s death and saying her life had “limited value because she was 26” while on a call with a police union leader, and also that the city should “just write a check.” Auderer also said: “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.”The video sparked public outrage and criticism of the police department’s culture.

Local protests, reactions from community members and diplomats followed after the footage was made public. Pro-police activists said the footage damaged the department’s reputation and undermined trust in law enforcement. The city’s civilian watchdog later found the comments were harmful to public confidence, and Auderer was fired. He has since filed a lawsuit claiming his termination was improper.The officer who struck Kandula, Dave, was also fired from the police department. He was cited for negligent driving and fined $5,000, but was not charged with a felony, as prosecutors said they could not prove he had acted with deliberate disregard for safety under Washington law.Nearly three years after the crash, the city of Seattle reached a $29 million settlement with Kandula’s family to resolve a wrongful death lawsuit. The settlement was filed in King County Superior Court and is intended to provide some degree of closure to her grieving relatives. City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement that Kandula’s death was “heartbreaking” and that the settlement was hoped to bring “some sense of closure” to the family. About $20 million of the payment is expected to be covered by the city’s insurance, with the remainder paid by the city itself.