Body camera footage showed one Seattle police officer joking with another after the death of a woman who was fatally struck by a patrol car while crossing the street.
Seattle police Daniel Auderer responded to the scene of a Jan. 23 crash in which another officer, Kevin Dave, hit and killed 23-year-old Janavi Kandula in a crosswalk.
The investigation revealed that Dave was driving 74 mph on the way to an overdose call, and Auderer, a drug recognition expert, was tasked with assessing whether Dave was impaired.
Auderer then left his body camera running and called his supervisor, Mike Solan, to report what had happened. In a recording released by the police department, Auderer laughs and suggests that Kandula’s life had “limited value” and that the city should “just write a check.”
The video was recorded on Jan. 24, the morning after Seattle police officer Kevin Dave struck 23-year-old Janavi Kandula with his car while he was driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone.
An SPD Crash Investigation Team report later determined that Dave was driving at a top speed of 74 mph in a 25 mph zone. Investigators concluded that Dave struck Kandula with his Ford SUV at approximately 63 mph, throwing Kandula approximately 138 feet.
In the video, Auderer can be heard laughing, apparently at something his interlocutor is saying. “Yeah, just write a check,” Auderer laughs. “$11,000. “In any case, he was 26 years old and his value was limited.”
It has now been sent to the Seattle Police Accountability Office “to investigate the context in which these statements were made and any possible violations of policy.”
Seattle’s Office of Police Accountability (OPA) said in a statement to NPR that it “became aware of an SPD officer’s comments regarding the tragic death of Jahnavi Kandula” on August 2 and immediately began an investigation. He says he will not comment further on the case until it is concluded to preserve and protect the integrity of the investigation.
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Source: La Opinion
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