A Seattle police watchdog agency has launched an investigation into bodycam footage showing a police officer joking about the death of a 23-year-old Indian student who was hit by a speeding police patrol car earlier this year, media reports said.
Jaahnavi Kandula was killed in January after she was struck by a police vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave. He was driving at 119kmh as he rushed to check on a report of an overdose, The Seattle Times newspaper reported on Monday.
In the bodycam footage released on Monday by the Seattle Police Department, officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication that officer Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary.
In the clip, officer Auderer, the vice-president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, was in a call with the guild’s president Mike Solan. He laughed several times and at one point said: “Yeah, just write a cheque, US$11,000 ($15,000). She was 26 (sic) anyway – she had limited value.”
Officer Auderer said that Dave’s vehicle had been “going 50” and that “that’s not out of control,” NBC News reported.
A police investigation report referred to prosecutors for review last month said that officer Dave was driving at 119kmh and Ms Kandula’s body flew more than 30m from the impact.
“That’s not reckless for a trained driver,” officer Auderer said in the video, adding that he did not believe she was thrown that far either, the report said.
“But she is dead. No, it’s a regular person,” he added and laughed.
Only officer Auderer’s side of the conversation was audible in the bodycam footage.
In his defence, officer Auderer said he made the comment to mock lawyers, according to KTTH radio station in Seattle.
He noted that Mr Solan “lamented” the young woman’s death during the two officers’ initial conversation, adding that it was unfortunate that her death would “turn into lawyers arguing the value of human life”.
“I responded with something like: ‘She’s 26 years old. What value is there? Who cares?’ I intended the comment as a mockery of lawyers,” officer Auderer was quoted as saying.
“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 minimise the payment.
“I laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are litigated and play out as two parties bargain over a tragedy.”
According to the report, officer Auderer acknowledged that anyone listening to the body-camera recording “would rightfully believe I was being insensitive to the loss of human life”, and said the comment “was not made with malice or a hard heart”.
The Office of Police Accountability confirmed that an investigation had been initiated after the agency received a complaint on Aug 2 from an employee with the Seattle Police Department.
The oversight agency, which investigates police misconduct and recommends discipline to the police chief, is investigating the context in which the statements were made and whether any policies had been violated, the police department said.
The Indian government has urged the US to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
The Indian Consulate in San Francisco said the handling of Ms Kandula’s death in a road accident was “deeply troubling” and sought action against those involved in the case.
“We have taken the matter up with local authorities in Seattle and Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC for a thorough investigation and action against those involved in this tragic case,” the mission wrote on X.
“The consulate and embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities.”
Ms Kandula, from Andhra Pradesh, was pursuing her master’s degree at Northeastern University in Seattle, according to a GoFundMe fundraiser launched to support her family.
“The family has nothing to say. I wonder if these men’s daughters or granddaughters have value. A life is a life,” said her uncle Ashok Mandula.
Another Seattle police oversight organisation, the Community Police Commission, described the audio as “heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive”.
“The people of Seattle deserve better from a police department that is charged with fostering trust with the community and ensuring public safety,” it said in a press release.
“Especially in light of this video, the hard work towards ensuring the Seattle Police Department reflects the values of the community it polices and embraces transparent accountability, will remain a top priority for the Seattle Community Police Commission.”
Indo-Asian News Service
