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Seattle police officer appears to joke, laugh about woman fatally struck by patrol car
Seattle police released bodycam video of an officer who appeared to laugh while speaking to a colleague about a pedestrian who was killed when she was struck by a speeding patrol car. (Credit: Seattle Police Department)
The Seattle Police Department released bodycam video Monday showing what appears to be an officer joking and laughing about a woman who was struck and killed by a patrol car in January.
The footage from officer Daniel Auderer’s body-worn camera was taken on Jan. 24, the day after a Seattle police car driven by another officer hit Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old Northeastern University student, in a crosswalk while responding to an overdose call.
“He’s going 50 [mph]. That’s not out of control. That’s not reckless for a trained driver,” the officer can be heard telling a colleague about the fatal collision, adding that he did not think there was a criminal investigation being carried out.
Police, however, said that the officer driving the patrol car was traveling at 74 mph in a 25-mph zone while responding to a priority-one call at the time of the fatal collision, FOX13 Seattle reported.
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The Seattle police officer was speaking to a colleague while driving his patrol car on Jan. 24, the day after a different officer fatally struck a pedestrian while responding to a call. (Seattle Police Department )
“But she is dead,” the officer says toward the end of the video clip before laughing. “No, it’s a regular person. Yeah, just write a check,” the officer says before laughing again. “Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.”
A department employee heard the officer’s statements and became concerned, alerting superiors, police said. (Seattle Police Department )
Police said the video was shared “in the interest of transparency,” and added that the department reserves comment pending the completion of an Office of Police Accountability investigation.
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A department employee had heard the exchange and notified their superiors out of concern over the statements that were heard, police said.
The Seattle Police Department’s Office of Police Accountability is investigating the context of the statements. (Seattle Police Department )
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Seattle police said the department has been in touch with the victim’s family and “extend our deepest sympathy for this tragic collision.”