'Jail Killer Cops': Protests In Seattle After Officer Mocks Indian Student's Death, US Police Body Reacts

Protesters hit the streets seeking action against the cop who mocked the death of an Indian student in Seattle. Meanwhile, the US police body has released a statement on the entire incident.

Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Indian student, died after she was hit by a speeding police car on January 23 at a cross-section in Seattle, the US. Months later, people gathered at the same intersection seeking a probe into callous remarks of a police officer joking about her death and saying her life had ‘limited value’. The clip released this week, which went viral on social media, shows Officer Daniel Auderer laughing with the rank-and-file police union’s president after a different officer’s speeding police car slammed into Jaahnavi Kandula at a crosswalk on Jan 23, reported The Associated Press. 

Auderer is the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, the report said. As per CNN, Auderer was dispatched to the crash scene after another officer hit and killed Jaahnavi Kandula while responding to a call, according to police documents. Auderer, a drug recognition expert, was sent to see if the officer who struck Kandula was impaired, the documents said, as quoted by CNN. 

What Auderer Said 

A day after the fatal accident of Kandula, Auderer's body-worn camera recorded the call in which he explained what happened. This footage was released by police on Monday, CNN reported. 

In the clip, Auderer can be heard saying how he thinks the victim was hit and then says, "But she is dead." He laughs, apparently in response to a comment made by the person on the other side of the phone. 

"No, it’s a regular person," Auderer continues. Moments later, he replies, "Yeah, just write a check", adding "Yeah, $11,000. She was 26 anyway". "She had limited value," the cop says at last. 

 

Demonstrators Seek Action Against Cops – One Who Hit, And One Who Mocked 

Kevin Dave, the officer who struck Kandula, was driving at 74mph (119km/h) in a 25mph (40km/h) zone on the way to an overdose call, as per The Guardian. 

Now, protesters thronged the streets in Seattle and gathered at the crosswalk where Kandula was hit and killed. According to The Guardian, a five-year-old Layla Allibhai sat atop father Mo Allibhai’s shoulders and held a sign saying: "I have unlimited value. So did Jaahnavi." 

Some signs read: "Jail killer cops" and "Convict Kevin Dave". 

Patricia Hunter, a co-chair of the community police commission, said, "I think this has galvanized people because it’s so blatant and disrespectful to put a value on a human’s life at $11,000" 

"And it galvanizes people to see that the culture at Seattle police department has some issues that need to be immediately addressed," Hunter added, as quoted by The Guardian. 

Auderer ‘Clarifies’ Comment, Explains What Actually Happened 

According to conservative KTTH talk radio host Jason Rantz, Auderer has reportedly said his comments were intended to be a mockery of city lawyers. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Rantz shared a statement by Auderer where he self-reported his comments. 

"I was imitating what a lawyer tasked with negotiating the case would be saying and being sarcastic to express that they shouldn’t be coming up with crazy arguments to minimize the payment," Auderer wrote in the document, according to Rantz. 

 He added that the comments were "not made with malice," the statement in Rantz’s post showed. 

"I do understand that if a citizen were to hear it that they would rightfully believe I was being insensitive to the loss of a human life," Auderer reportedly wrote. 

Auderer was talking to Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) President Mike Solan over the call. In his statement, Auderer said Solan “lamented” the death of the 26-year-old victim in the traffic accident. 

"During that phone call Mike Solan stated something to the effect that it was unfortunate that this would turn into lawyers arguing ‘the value of human life,'" Auderer reportedly wrote. 

"Mike Solan asked me as he was lamenting the loss of life similar to: ‘What crazy argument can a lawyer make in something like this? What crazy thing can they come up with?'" he further said.  

  

US Police Body Responds To Controversy 

Meanwhile, SPOG released a statement Friday, Sept 15, apologising for the video. SPOG said they "feel deep sorrow and grief for the family of Jaahnavi Kandula." However, they added that the video does not show the full context of the situation. 

"The video captures only one side of the conversation," the police body said. 

The police department said the footage was discovered "in the routine course of business by a department employee" and passed through the chain of command to the chief’s office.

The footage was referred to the police department’s Office of Police Accountability "for investigation into the context in which those statements were made and any policy violation that might be implicated," CNN cited the police department's statement 

The statement read that the police department "has been in touch with the family of the victim pedestrian and continues to honor 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," according to a CNN report.

However, the community police commission co-chairs opined that the said explanation "that he was mocking lawyers does not make this unprofessional and inhumane conduct any better because it shows … a callous dismissiveness toward police accountability systems".