By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Walking through the South Lake Union neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, members of the community voiced their frustration over the lack of punishment for the police officer that struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula last January. The Seattle City Attorney’s Office announced it filed a traffic infraction for Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dane with Seattle Municipal Court on Friday.
“The Seattle Police Department has referred a traffic infraction to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office involving Officer Kevin Dane in the tragic death of Jaahnavi Kandula,” reads a press release from the City issued on Friday. “Dane was issued the traffic ticket for Negligent Driving in the Second Degree with a Vulnerable User Victim. It carries a civil penalty with a fine of up to $5,000.”
“I have delegated this matter to the CAO Criminal Division Chief and will maintain a clear separation between the CAO Criminal Division and the CAO Civil Division,” said Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison. “I have made this decision to avoid a conflict of interest, as events underlying this referral could require me, as Seattle City Attorney, to represent the City of Seattle in future related civil matters.” Davison refers to the potential that the family of Kandula could file a civil lawsuit related to her death.
“He cannot walk away, after taking a life scot-free,” said walk organizer Deepali Jamwal to KING-5 News. “We are disgusted. It shatters our trust and faith in the justice system.” Notably, none of the participants in the walk knew Kandula personally.
Although not involved in the incident, Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer awaits a disciplinary hearing in April after bodycam footage discovered him making insensitive remarks about Kandula’s death. At the time, Auderer was vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. He was on a call with president of the guild, Mike Solan. The footage appears to show Auderer laugh and joke about a 23-year-old woman who died after being hit by Dane’s patrole car. Auderer can be heard saying she had “limited value.” According to the Seattle Police Department, Auderer’s comments were “identified in the routine course of business by a department employee, who, concerned about the nature of statements on that video” reported their concerns up the chain of command.
“Daniel Auderer is unfit to serve the forces,” Jamwal said. “He’s someone with the lowest level of humanity and ethics and someone who’s biased and so disgusting and is unfit to serve. And we want his termination.”
Kandula was a graduate student from India at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus. She was preparing to graduate with a master’s in Information Systems in December 2023.
On Jan. 23, 2023, Dane was driving 74 miles per hour without a continuous siren while responding to a drug overdose, according to reports. Kandula was walking in a crosswalk in the South Lake Union neighborhood when she was struck by the police vehicle. The Seattle Times reported that Kandula had been thrown over 100 feet as a result of the crash. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center, but later succumbed to her injuries.
Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.