Indian American Community Services (IACS) is gathering signatures for a petition to seek justice for Jaahnavi Kandula, who was fatally struck by a Seattle Police officer’s vehicle in January, and to hold the Seattle Police Department (SPD) accountable for the tragedy and disturbing comments made public last week.
Kandula was fatally struck by Officer Kevin Dave’s vehicle—a marked patrol SUV—that was speeding in a crosswalk in Seattle’s South Lake Union area.
IACS requested a meeting in January immediately after the incident and was informed by SPD that it could not comment on an ongoing investigation. However, they promised to follow up with the community once they had conclusive details. There was no follow up from SPD about the investigation or updates until the release of the shocking body camera footage.
In the video that surfaced on Sept. 11, you can hear SPD Officer Daniel Auderer, (and vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild) who responded to the collision talking to Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. They were laughing, joking, and downplaying Kandula’s death.
“That’s not reckless for a trained driver,” Auderer said in the video, and that he doesn’t believe “she was thrown 40 feet either. But she is dead.”
He continued to laugh and said, “No, it’s a regular person,” and suggested that the SPD “write a check for $11,000. She was 26 anyway. She has limited value.”
Auderer has said that his statements were taken out of context.
IACS is demanding that the SPD:
- Appoint an independent body to investigate Kandula’s death and future civilian deaths involving SPD officers and report results back to the community in a timely manner,
- Hold accountable Officer Kevin Dave who struck Kandula; Officer Daniel Auderer, who laughed about the deadly crash; and Officer Mike Sloan, who callously engaged in this conversation with Auderer,
- Disclose all details of the fatal collision to the public including the speed at which Officer Dave was driving, and provide clarity on what basis Officer Auderer had already determined that it was not reckless driving,
- Request the Office of Police Accountability to release all of its investigation reports to the public.