Laughing cop says woman killed in police crash had 'limited value' bodycam shows

12 September 2023 , 18:40

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Laughing cop says woman killed in police crash had 'limited value' bodycam shows

Shocking bodycam footage recently released shows a police officer laughing and joking after a young woman was hit and killed by a police car.

The video footage of Seattle police officer Daniel Auderer shows the cop joking the young woman who died had "limited value" and that the city should "just write a cheque" for her death. What he's discussing is the investigation into a crash which killed 23-year-old graduate student Jaahnavi Kandula.

Jaahnavi was struck and killed by Officer Auderer's colleague, Officer Kevin Dave, on January 23. She was a master's student at Northeastern University's Seattle campus having arrived as an exchange student from India to study a Masters of Science Information Systems at the College of Engineering.

Jaahvani Kanula was a 23-year-old masters student at Northeastern University's Seattle Campus from India

Officer Daniel Auderer serves as the Seattle Police Guild's Vice President (OpenOversight)

She had been due to graduate in December. Officer Auderer, who serves as the Seattle Police Guild's Vice President, arrived on the scene the night of the crash to conduct a drug recognition test on Officer Dave.

In the upsetting bodycam footage, Officer Auderer appears to be on a call with another person the following day when he makes the inappropriate comments. The footage opens with him saying: "It does not seem like there's a criminal investigation going on."

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He continues to discuss the circumstances of the crash, saying Officer Dave was "going 50mph" and had his "lights and sirens" on. He added: "That's not out of control, that's not reckless for a trained driver".

However, a report into the crash released in June revealed Officer Dave was actually doing 74mph in a 25mph zone while responding to a different "high priority" call. He had sped through the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street, which have speed limits of 25 and 20mph respectively.

Just moments after he reached 74mph, Officer Dave can be seen in his own bodycam footage slowing the car down before hitting Jaahnavi at the intersection. Footage from his bodycam reveals he admitted he "f****d up" and went to perform CPR on Jaahnavi.

Footage from the accident shows Officer Dave attempting CPR on Jaahvani (FOX 13)

Officer Auderer can be heard in the call discussing what he believes to have happened during the crash, saying: "I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, then when [Officer Dave] hit the brakes, flew off the car."

What he says and does next is particularly chilling and upsetting. He confirms "she is dead" before someone on the other end says something that leaves him laughing. He then follows this up with saying Jaahnavi is "a regular person".

(Gofundme)

His crude comments continue, as he says the city should "just write a cheque" before laughing again and saying the cheque should be for "$11,000" (£8,810). The clip ends with him saying: "She was 26 anyway, she had limited value", getting Jaahnavi's age wrong.

He then appears to fiddle with his body-worn camera before the clip cuts out. The footage was uploaded by Seattle Police to their own YouTube channel.

Bodycam footage from Officer Daniel Auderer reveals him making light of Jaahvani's death in a call the following day (Seattle Police Department)

Before the footage begins, there is a statement which reads: "The following video was identified in the routine course of business by a department employee, who, concerned about the nature of statements heard on that video, appropriately escalated their concerns through their chain of command to the Chief's Office which, following a review of the video, referred the matter to OPA [Office of Police Accountability] for investigation into the context in which those statements were made and any policy violation that might be implicated."

The statement continued: "Recognising the public concern around this video, SPD is putting out this video in the interest of transparency, but consistent with City law, SPD reserves any comment on the substance pending the completion of OPA's investigation.

(FOX 13)

"SPD has been in touch with the family of the victim pedestrian and continues to honour their expressed request for privacy. As others in the accountability system proceed with their work, we again extend our deepest sympathy for this tragic collision."

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Seattle's civilian-led Community Police Commission said the incident speaks to concerns they have "repeatedly raised about elements of Seattle Police Department culture and SPOG resistance to officer accountability measures included in the landmark 2017 Police Accountability Ordinance". They added: "The people of Seattle deserve better from a police department that is charged with fostering trust with the community and ensuring public safety."

Fiona Leishman