‘Disturbing’ police bodycam footage shows officer laughing after student fatally hit by car

A police officer’s “disturbing” reaction after a student was fatally struck by a police car was caught on body camera.

A Seattle Police Department vehicle struck and killed student Jaahnavi Kandula on January 23 of last year.

Kandula was using a crosswalk near her South Lake Union campus when she was struck. The car, driven by Officer Kevin Dave, was responding to a drug overdose call, traveling at 74 mph.

Kandula, who was studying in the United States from India, died after being thrown 42 metres by the car.

But it was another officer’s response to the tragedy that “brought shame” to the police department.

SPD officer Daniel Auderer, who was not involved in the incident, was caught laughing while responding to an emergency call at the time of the collision.

Shocking bodycam footage, which you can watch above, also captured him falsely claiming that Kandula was “only 26” and that his life had “limited value.”

He also said the city should “just write a check for $11,000.”

The conversation was discovered by authorities last August.

Auderer was fired by the department last July. Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr said in a department-wide email that Auderer’s actions “brought shame to the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making every officer’s job more difficult.”

She added that it was her duty to maintain the high standards necessary to maintain public trust.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bruce Harrell said in a statement last July: “This incident has damaged the public trust that we have worked to strengthen since day one of my administration.”

Kandula’s family had earlier said in a statement: “We are truly heartbroken. Jaahnavi was a brilliant student with a bright future.

“Jaahnavi’s smile was radiant and her bubbly personality warmed the hearts of everyone she met. She had an innate ability to connect with people from all walks of life.”

They added: “Jaahnavi’s tragic and untimely death has left her family and community with a huge hole in their hearts that will never be repaired. She was the daughter of a single mother who taught primary school in India.

“Although she earned less than $200 a month, her mother educated Jaahnavi and encouraged her to come to the United States, hoping that she would have a brighter future and a better life abroad.

“Her mother’s hopes and dreams are now dashed.”

Auderer, who was the elected vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, has not been charged with any crime for the comments.

UNILAD has reached out to the Seattle Police Department for comment.