Seattle to Pay 260 Cr to Family of Telugu Student Jaahnavi Killed by Police Officer

SEATTLE: The city of Seattle has reached a $29 million ( Rs 262 crore) settlement with the family of a 23-year-old graduate student from India who was struck by a speeding police officer as she crossed a street in 2023.

Jaahnavi Kandula was hit by Officer Kevin Dave, who was driving as fast as 74 mph (119 kph) in a 25-mph (40-kph) zone as he responded to a drug overdose call. He had his emergency lights on and had been using his siren at intersections.

“Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement Wednesday. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, her friends and to our community.”

Kandula had been working toward a master’s degree in information systems at the Seattle campus of Northeastern University.

Attorneys for Kandula's family did not immediately respond to emails or phone calls seeking comment. The parties filed a notice of settlement in King County Superior Court last Friday. The local news website PubliCola first reported about the agreement.

Kandula’s death ignited outrage and demonstrations, particularly after a recording from another officer’s body camera surfaced in which the officer laughed and suggested Kandula’s life had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check.”

Diplomats from India sought an investigation. The city’s civilian watchdog found the comments by Officer Daniel Auderer, who was a union leader, damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust. Auderer was later fired and has sued the city for wrongful termination. He said his remarks were intended to criticize how attorneys were likely to respond to the death.

The police department also fired the driving officer, who was cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. King County prosecutors declined to file felony charges against him, saying they could not prove he was deliberately disregarding safety when he struck Kandula.

About $20 million of the settlement is expected to be covered by the city's insurance.

It may be recalled that Kandula Jaahnavi, 23, from Andhra Pradesh, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave when she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23, 2023. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 km/h) on the way to a report of a drug overdose call.

She was thrown 100 feet when she was struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle.

The police officer who killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in January 2023 when the patrol vehicle he was driving struck her, has been fired from the police department, officials said.

The development comes months after another Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer was fired following his insensitive comments and laughter after Kandula's death.

The Consulate General of India in Seattle had been working consistently with authorities and law enforcement officials to ensure justice in the case, with Auderer's firing and now the action against Dave bringing a sense of closure and justice for Kandula's family.

The Consulate had been in regular touch with Kandula's family representatives and had said that it would continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family.

In a February 2024 post on X, the Indian Consulate in Seattle said that On the recently released investigation report of the King County Prosecution Attorney on the unfortunate death of Jaahnavi Kandula, Consulate has been in regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Kandula and her family.

We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to the Seattle City Attorney's office for review. We await completion of Seattle Police's administrative investigation and will continue to monitor progress on the case.

Rahr was appointed as interim chief in May 2024 and in July last year, she had announced Auderer's firing. However, decision about Dave's action came in only now.

In bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department, Auderer was heard laughing after the deadly crash and had remarked 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.

After making these comments, Auderer laughed hard for four seconds, the department's Disciplinary Action Report said.

Auderer's body-worn camera also captured him as saying that Yeah, just write a check. Just, yeah (laughter). USD 11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.

When asked at an Office of Police Accountability interview about his comments that Kandula had limited value, Auderer had claimed he was ridiculing the city attorneys who would be tasked with litigating a potential wrongful death lawsuit.

Rahr had said in an internal email, seen by PTI, that the hurt Auderer's words inflicted on Kandula's family cannot be erased. The actions (of) this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult.

Rahr had said that as the leader of the organisation, it is her duty to uphold the high standards necessary to maintain public trust.

For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonour to the entire department. For that reason, I am going to terminate his employment, she had said in the internal email about Auderer.

Our government gives police officers the authority to deprive people of their liberty and in the most extreme circumstances, their life. This authority rests on the public's trust that officers will demonstrate respect for the sanctity of human life. The officer's laughter and callous comments about the limited value of Kandula's life displayed a cruel mockery of the sanctity of her life. That is a betrayal of that sacred trust. Not only did his comments irrevocably break the public's trust in the officer, individually, but they caused extreme damage to the public's trust of the entire Seattle Police Department,Rahr had said.

A report in KIRO 7 News included Rahr's email, which said that The officer that struck and killed college student Jaahnavi Kandula January 26, 2023, was terminated today. The case was reviewed by the King County Prosecutor's Office and declined for prosecution last year. It was then referred to the Seattle City Attorney's Office and the Officer was charged with second degree negligent driving.

The Seattle Office of Police Accountability (OPA) waited until both criminal and civil infraction cases were complete before completing their investigation. OPA found that the officer violated four Seattle Police Department policies, including those related to standards and duties and emergency vehicle operations, she said.