Seattle Police Department Fires Officer Who Laughed After Jaahnavi Kandula Was Killed in 2023

Officer Daniel Auderer has been fired from the Seattle Police Department for mocking about the death of Indian graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula. Auderer was caught on body camera laughing after the 23-year-old was killed by another officer speeding through a crosswalk in 2023. 

Auderer was informed for the decision by Seattle interim police Chief Sue Rahr yesterday (July 17), The Seattle Times reported. “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,” The Seattle Times report said, citing a department wide email Rahr sent on July 17 afternoon. “It is my duty as the leader of this organization to uphold the high standards necessary to maintain public trust,” she wrote. “For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonor to the entire department. For that reason, I am going to terminate his employment. 

While Auderer acknowledged that his words were “hurtful” and that he was “horrified to know what they meant to the young woman’s family,” she concluded that his “cruel and callous laughter” and the pain inflicted on Kandula’s family could not be outweighed by his good reputation among his fellow officers and his years of service to the community,” The Seattle Times noted. Auderer has been an officer since 2009.

Kandula was walking in the crosswalk from east to west when Seattle police officer Kevin Dave struck her while responding to a “priority one” call. According to The Seattle Times, the department defined such a call as “one that is the highest priority and involves a threat to life.” She was found suffering from life-threatening injuries at the scene, where officers performed CPR while they waited for the fire department to arrive. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition where she later died. 

She was a student at the Seattle campus of Northeastern University at the time.

An investigation showed that Dave was going triple the speed limit at 74 mph as he headed to an overdose call on Jan. 23, 2023, The Seattle Times reported. As he approached Thomas Street at Dexter Avenue North, dashboard camera video showed Kandula crossing the street in front of the officer. 

According to a report released in June, Kandula had the right of way at the time of the collision. Investigators later determined that Dave tried to avoid the collision by slowing down, but Kandula was still hit at 63 mph. According to the report, Dave did not have his siren activated at the time of the collision. Instead, the officer “chirped” his siren at the intersection, but he did have his emergency lights on.

A fire department spokesperson told The Seattle Times at the time that Dave was rushing “to aide a 28-year-old man who was evaluated and later declined transport to a hospital.” According to the report, the officer did not have his siren activated continuously. Instead, the officer “chirped” his siren at the intersection. 

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Earlier in February, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced its decision not to file criminal charges against officer. Nine days later, the Seattle City Attorney issued a $5,000 traffic infraction against him. A check of court records shows Dave had to pay the infraction by May 13. As of the evening of May 14, court records marked his infraction as “committed,” meaning it’s gone into default status. As a result, a late fee of $52 has been added, bringing the overall balance to $5,052.

Auderer responded to the scene where he was captured on body camera laughing with Officer Mike Solan, union president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, during a phone call. Auderer is heard laughing after stating, “She is dead.” He then says, through more laughter, “Yeah, just write a check … $11,000. She was 26 anyway. She had limited value.” He later said during an interview that the call was meant to be union business, and that his comments were not meant to mock Kandula but to mock lawyers who debate the value of life after a police killing. 

Despite his claims that the video took his comments out of context, the scandal made global headlines and harmed community trust in Seattle police at a critical time.