Jaahnavi Kandula

After the tragic death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in an accident with a speeding police vehicle in Seattle, US, a police official, Daniel Auderer, was heard laughing and passing insensitive comments.

Auderer has been reportedly fired by the Seattle Police interim chief, upholding the integrity of the department, as stated in an internal email.

Kandula, a student of Northeastern university in South Lake Union, died after she was hit by a Seattle Police vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave at a pedestrian crossing on the night of Jan 23 last year.

Dave, who was responding to a “high priority” call that day at 8 pm, had reportedly chirped his siren, but did not have it running consistently, as he ploughed into Kandula.

Investigating the incident, Seattle Police Officers’ Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer, was heard calling Kandula a “regular person” and suggesting that the department “write a check”, in a bodycam footage.

The video clip sparked massive outrage across India and the US with leaders, lawmakers and advocacy groups calling for Audrer’s dismissal from the police service.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild had earlier said Auderer’s statements were taken out of context and that he was mocking lawyers and a legal system that places monetary value on human life.

(With inputs from syndicated feed)