In Jan. 2023, Northeastern graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula, was struck and killed by Seattle PD officer Kevin Dave, prompting another officer, Daniel Auderer, to deem her life as having “limited value,” sparking global protests. These incidents occurred at the end of a decade-long Federal Department of Justice intervention in the Seattle PD, one which determined the department needed more assistance in the area of accountability.
Kandula, a 23-year-old citizen of India who came to the U.S. to study at Northeastern’s Seattle Graduate Campus, was walking down a crosswalk when she was hit by Dave who was responding to a nearby call. Investigation into the incident shows Dave’s vehicle was traveling at a top speed of 74 mph in a 25 mph zone, and upon impact Kandula’s body was thrown 138 feet.
The crosswalk where the incident occurred, connecting Dexter Ave. and Thomas St., had been determined as needing safety improvements years earlier, but these improvements had been delayed. Since Kandula’s death, Seattle’s first protected intersection opened in May 2024 with the goal of providing a safer and more enjoyable experience for bikers and pedestrians crossing between these streets.
Following Kandula’s death, Auderer, a drug recognition evaluator, was called to the scene to investigate whether Dave was impaired at the time of the collision. In a call reportedly made to the President of The Seattle Police Officer Guild, Auderer was recorded laughing over the matter and saying, “Just write a check… she was 26 anyway, she had limited value.”
The bodycam footage of Auderer’s statements following Kandula’s death has since been made public on the Seattle PD’s YouTube channel, which can be viewed here.
In defense of his comments, Auderer later claimed to have been mocking Seattle lawyers and imitating their lack of care, rather than expressing his own feelings towards the incident.
Kandula’s death and Auderer’s statements led to mass protests and social media movements across the world. Protestors called for a full investigation and the dismissal of both Dave and Auderer. Many South Asian celebrities such as Lilly Singh joined the movement, expressing their outrage through social media.
However, in Feb. 2024 Seattle prosecutors failed to charge Dave with Kandula’s death, citing a lack of evidence in determining whether he showed a “conscious disregard for others safety.” Once again, protestors took to the streets of Seattle to express their disappointment over the incident and subsequent response by the SPD and Seattle justice system.
Although Dave was not criminally charged with Kandula’s death, he was transferred to an administrative position within the SPD. Dave was also cited for negligent driving and fined $5,000, which he reportedly failed to pay on time.
Meanwhile, Auderer faced investigation by the Office of Police Accountability, which concluded in Jan. 2023.
In accordance with the findings of this investigation, Auderer was officially terminated by SPD interim Police Chief Sue Rahr. His termination comes at an interesting time, having been initiated by Rahr who recently took over after former chief Adrian Diaz’s dismissal. Diaz’s dismissal as chief came in light of a discrimination lawsuit brought against him by Seattle Police Captain Eric Greening, and Rahr is expected to act as interim chief for the SPD until a permanent candidate is selected.
Auderer’s termination is one of the first actions taken by Rahr in her new role, and in a statement made after accepting the position she said, “What I want to restore to the culture is … we’re fair, we hold people accountable, but we’re fair about it, we follow due process. And we give people the opportunity to explain.”
In a later statement regarding Auderer’s termination Rahr said, “As I consider all of these factors, there is no doubt that the named officer’s cruel comments and callous laughter about the tragic death caused deep pain to Ms. Kandula’s family, but also immeasurable damage to the public trust of police in the Seattle community, across the nation, and around the world.”
Rahr seems to be following through on her goal of holding members of the SPD accountable and striving to regain public trust of the SPD through her termination of Auderer. This comes after a decade-long Federal Department of Justice intervention in the SPD, which came to a close in 2023, with the exception of two areas, one of which being accountability. Although Rahr may not hold the chief position for long, her actions during it may signal the start of a long overdue change in accountability for the SPD.
