US cop caught on tape laughing over AP girl’s death in accident; probe launched
KURNOOL: A probe has been launched against Seattle police union leaders after an officer was recorded on his body camera laughing and downplaying the death of a young woman from Kurnool, who was killed by a police patrol vehicle in January this year.
In the video released on Monday, officer Daniel Auderer can be heard discussing the investigation into the accident involving a graduate student, Jaahnavi Kandula, who was killed by another officer, Kevin Dave, while driving his vehicle on January 5. The 23-year-old was pursuing her Masters at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus.
According to Seattle-based publications, Daniel Auderer, in a call with the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild (SPOG) president Mike Solan, can be heard saying, “She is dead” before bursting out into laughter and calling the victim “a regular person”.
He further said, through bursts of laughter, “Yeah, just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars.’’ The clip ends with him saying, “She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.” Auderer was assigned to determine whether Dave was under the influence of drugs. It is learnt that Auderer had left his body camera running inadvertently while speaking to the SPOG chief. Kandula, who had been in a crosswalk at Thomas Street and Dexter Avenue North, was thrown over 100 feet away.
The girl had died on the same day. Auderer, who serves as the SPOG vice-president said, “I mean, he was going 50 mph. That’s not out of control. That’s not reckless for a trained driver.” But a release in June revealed Dave was actually driving 74 mph in a 25-mph zone, while responding to a different “high-priority” call. Footage from Dave’s bodycam revealed that he tried to slow down the car before striking Kandula at the fateful intersection.
Jahnavi Kandula was a native of Kambaluru camp village in Kowthalam mandal in Kurnool, with her family residing in Adoni town in the district. After completing her degree, she went to the US to study MS in September, 2020. Jahnavi’s parents, who are currently in Bengaluru, were unavailable for comment.
Responding to the shocking video, an advocate and Praja Parirakshana Samithi president K Balaram said, “Protection of human rights is the paramount responsibility of the Indian Government.” He urged the Ministry of External Affairs to immediately escalate the issue with the US authorities.
According to Seattle based publications, Joel Merkel, co-chair of Community Police Council responded to the incident saying, “The video was appalling, and it was insensitive. Just hearing someone who works at SPD say that about a human life moments after she was killed by being struck by a Seattle police vehicle is absolutely heartbreaking.’’