July 17,:
A Seattle police officer was fired for making derogatory remarks and laughing just moments after another officer had hit and killed Indian graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula. On January 23, 2023, while Kandula was crossing a busy street, Seattle police officer Kevin Dave struck her. Kandula was a Master's degree candidate in information systems at Northeastern University. Dave tragically killed the 23-year-old student from Bengaluru as he was traveling at 74 mph in a 25 mph zone.

In March, Dave was instead ordered to pay $5,000 for a traffic ticket, rather than criminal charges. The Seattle police officer is still on the force and has not yet settled his fine. At the same time, Officer Daniel Auderer was let go from his position after being quickly sent to the site to assess whether Dave was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Sue Rahr, the interim chief of police in Seattle, outlined her rationale for dismissing Auderer in a Disciplinary Action Report that was sent to New India Abroad.

Dave was not intoxicated, according to Auderer, therefore he fled the scene of the accident. While he was on his way back, his body cam caught a brief phone call with a coworker. "I believe she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car," Auderer reported. But her life has ended.

The announcement that Kandula had died is followed by Auderer's laughter, which lasts for a few seconds. He continued by stating, "Yeah, just write her a check." A mere eleven grand. Never the less, she was 26 years old. There was not much purpose to her life. According to the report, he later noticed that his body camera was turned on and turned it off.

To the Office of Police Accountability, Auderer subsequently said: "You can either laugh or cry. You can't find humor in bereavement. The ridiculousness of it makes you giggle. Additionally, he mentioned that "gallows" comedy is a popular coping method for individuals whose jobs expose them to terrible experiences. His lawyer brought up the fact that Auderer has dealt with numerous gruesome instances and witnessed numerous deaths. “Police officers cannot react like humans do to death,” the officer said. "If they don't laugh, they will cry," she said, so desensitization is necessary.

Regarding his comments regarding the worth of Kandula's life, Auderer stated that he was making fun of the city attorneys who could be involved in a wrongful death lawsuit. He expressed regret for his earlier comments and expressed his desire to alleviate the suffering of the Kandula family in a subsequent apology. However, Rahr nevertheless fired him. "Your heartless and insensitive laughter and remarks regarding the tragic death inflicted immense suffering upon Kandula's family, as well as incalculable harm to the already precarious public faith in Seattle's, the country's, and the world's police," Rahr stated in the Disciplinary Action Report.

Members of the community and officials from the Indian government have voiced their "extreme outrage," she said. The Seattle Police Department and our entire profession are ashamed of your behavior, she admonished.

"I am deeply relieved to see that accountability is being upheld in this tragic case," said Raj Salwan, a candidate for mayor of Fremont who helped organize a vigil for Kandula last September. A message of insensitivity and callousness has no place in law enforcement, as is made evident by Officer Auderer's termination. Speaking at Jaahnavi's vigil has brought home to me the significance of empathy and fairness in paying tribute to her life. According to Salwan, this move will help rebuild confidence and make it clear that such behavior will not be tolerated.

Death of Indian Student Jaahnavi Kandula: Seattle Officer Fired for Mocking Incident