The Seattle police officer who hit and killed college student Jaahnavi Kandula while responding to an emergency call was issued a traffic violation.
Some human rights groups and locals have lashed out at the city attorney’s ruling as prosecutors confirmed Friday that Officer Kevin Dave will not face criminal charges.
Dave’s police cruiser was traveling 74 mph on the way to an overdose call when it fatally struck 23-year-old Kandula in a South Lake Union crosswalk in January 2023.
City Attorney Ann Davison filed the traffic violation against Dave in Seattle Municipal Court after prosecutors found no evidence that he was drunk or driving recklessly at the time.
The 35-year-old police officer faces a fine of up to $5,000 for the second-degree negligent driving offense.
The Seattle police officer who struck and killed college student Jaahnavi Kandula (pictured) while responding to an emergency call was issued a traffic violation.
Bodycam footage shows Office Kevin Dave performing CPR on the victim moments after hitting her with his patrol car on January 23 last year.
Some human rights groups and locals have lashed out at the city attorney’s ruling as prosecutors confirmed Friday that Officer Kevin Dave (pictured) will not face criminal charges.
Activists have accused the lawyer of “reducing” Kandula’s life to a “traffic violation.” “She was a human who deserved to live,” one person wrote on X.
A petition demanding that the officer be tried for manslaughter in Washington state has garnered 234,408 signatures.
The case sparked protests last year after video emerged of a Seattle police union official laughing while talking about Kandula’s death at the scene.
Officer Daniel Auderer downplayed the information technology student’s death in the shocking clip, saying her life had “limited value” and adding that the city should just “write a check.”
Kandula recently graduated with a degree in information technology from Northeastern University.
Auderer later admitted that he “fucked up” and Seattle police commanders recommended that he be suspended. He has a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Monday.
organizers of the petition Calling for a murder trial he also said Auderer should be fired.
Speaking of Kandula, the petition says: “Not only was she gunned down like it was nothing, but the officers’ conversation after the event is absolutely disgraceful and a disgrace to humanity.”
‘We demand that these officers be dismissed from duty, without pension, and that this incident be treated as involuntary manslaughter and prosecuted.
‘It is necessary to investigate the agent in action and the supervisor.
‘Jaahnavi was NOTHING. She has a family in India, a mother waiting for her daughter to return home for Diwali or Christmas.
‘Her mother, an elementary school teacher, who took on enormous financial debts to send her daughter to the US in the hope of a better life: to a land she thought was the land of opportunity and the best! country of the world!
‘Let us confirm the greatness of our country and demonstrate that we still practice “freedom and justice for all”! It is necessary to take action.
“Disgraceful officers need to be held accountable for their racist, dehumanizing and unethical comments and behavior.”
Detective Daniel Auderer is a drug recognition officer and was assigned to determine if Dave was under the influence. He concluded that his colleague was sober. He is heard laughing and making insensitive comments about Kandula’s death in a video.
Footage shows Dave behind the wheel of his police cruiser driving at a speed of 74 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone before crashing into Kandula.
The college student had been crossing the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street near campus on Jan. 23, 2023. She died in the hospital a day later.
Dave was heard calling for backup over the radio after reports of a pedestrian being hit. He was seen performing CPR on the young woman until several other first responders arrived at the scene.
Police ruled the incident an accident and the officer returned to work days later.
The body camera footage was first published by Publicola. According to the news outlet, the King County Prosecutor’s Office is still deciding whether to charge Dave with a crime.
The intersection’s crosswalks are heavily marked with bright yellow reflective indicators, a large neon sign, and are surrounded by bike lanes and a wide median.
The officer was heard on body camera telling the responding officer, ‘The lights were on. ‘She was sounding the sirens…she was at the crosswalk.’
‘She saw me and started running across the pedestrian crossing. Hit on my brakes. She began to stay back where she should before crossing.
The video showed the officer speeding through red lights and slowing down slightly before the young woman was hit.
Dave was on his way to a priority one call, classified as the most important, according to the police department. The call concerned a man who had suffered a drug overdose but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
The video recording also revealed intermittent sirens coming from the officer’s patrol car that were not continuous.
Troopers said they were not investigating the accident as a use of force case and noted that they did not believe the officer had intended to hit Kandula.
“At this point in the investigation, we have no reason to believe the officer intended to hit that woman,” a Seattle police spokesperson previously said.
According to the department, Dave has been working as an officer since November 2019.
A petition calling for the officer to be tried for murder in Washington state has garnered 234,408 signatures.
The case came to light last year after a video surfaced of a Seattle police union official laughing while discussing Kandula’s death at the scene.
A photo of Jaahnavi Kandula is shown with flowers, on January 29, 2023 in Seattle.
Police said the officer was not suspended, but was simply told to leave his shift after the crash as a “release day” to deal with a “traumatic or disturbing” experience.
Kandula was a graduate student ready to earn her master’s degree in information systems. Her family remembered her as a “brilliant” person.
Her family said her death left a “huge hole” in the hearts of people who knew her.
‘We are really heartbroken. Jaahnavi was a brilliant student with a bright future. Jaahnavi’s smile was radiant and his cheerful personality touched the hearts of everyone he came in contact with.
“He had an innate ability to connect with people from all walks of life,” they said in a statement.
‘Jaahnavi’s tragic and untimely death has left her family and community with a gaping hole in their hearts that will never be repaired. She was the daughter of a single mother who teaches at a primary school in India.
‘Despite earning less than $200 a month, her mother raised Jaahnavi and encouraged her to travel to the United States in the hope that Jaahnavi would have a better future and a better life abroad. Her mother’s hopes and dreams have now been cut short.
A GoFundMe was created to help her family pay Ms. Kandula’s hospital bills and take care of college loans taken out for her education.
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