Police Probed for Officer’s Laughing Response to Woman Fatally Hit by Cruiser

Seattle Police Union Leaders Under Investigation for Insensitive Remarks

The Seattle police union is facing scrutiny ⁣as rank-and-file leaders ⁤are​ being⁢ investigated after an officer was caught on his body​ camera footage making callous remarks about a woman who ​was fatally struck ‌by ‍another patrol cruiser ⁣earlier this year. The officer in question claims that he was actually mocking the insensitivity⁤ of ⁢those who ⁢would exploit such a tragedy.

Officer Daniel Auderer, vice president of​ the Seattle Police Officers Guild, was responding to an‍ officer-involved collision ‍on ⁤January 23. Officer Kevin Dave was​ driving over 70mph in​ a 25mph speed zone when he struck and killed Jaahnavi Kandula while responding to a report of an⁢ overdose.

Kandula, ⁣a 23-year-old woman‌ from India, was walking across the intersection ⁣when she was hit. ‌The impact from the vehicle threw her over 100 feet, and she later died at Harborview Medical‍ Center.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) released the body camera footage on Monday after ​an employee expressed concern about ‍the nature of the statements made in the video. The conversation between Auderer and Officer ⁤Mike Solan, the president of the Seattle police⁢ union, was discovered during the investigation.

“I ⁢mean, he⁢ was going 50 (MPH). That’s not out of control. That’s not reckless​ for a trained driver,” ⁢Auderer said, ⁢adding that he‌ doesn’t believe “she was thrown 40 feet either.”

“But she ‌is dead,” he⁢ said. He later laughs and says, “No, it’s a regular person.”

“Yeah, just write a check,” he said and laughed again.

CLICK HERE TO GET​ THE DAILY WIRE APP

“Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway,” Auderer‌ said, misidentifying Kandula’s age. “She had⁢ limited value.”

The King County Medical Examiner⁣ determined that Kandula’s⁤ cause of death was ‌due to multiple blunt force injuries.

According ⁤to conservative talk radio 770 ‍KTTH,​ Auderer reported that Solan expressed regret over‌ Kandula’s death, stating that it was unfortunate that it would ⁤turn ⁣into a legal battle ⁣over the⁤ value of ⁢human life.

Auderer⁤ later clarified that⁤ his​ comments were ⁢intended to mock the⁢ legal process​ and were not made with malice or a hard heart.‌ However, he acknowledged that ⁢they could be perceived as insensitive.

The Seattle Community Police Commission (CPC) released a statement condemning the conversation between Auderer and Solan, describing ‌it as heartbreaking ​and shockingly insensitive.

“The video was appalling, and it ⁤was heartbreaking and incredibly⁢ insensitive,”‌ Joel Merkel, Co-Chair of CPC, said. “Just hearing someone who works at SPD​ say that about a human life ⁤moments after she was​ killed by being ‍struck ⁢by a Seattle police vehicle is absolutely heartbreaking.”

“Today was the first time anyone at⁤ CPC saw⁤ this video,”⁣ the statement continued. “The CPC is really focused on helping ensure that the community can trust its police department. The community deserves a police department that shares its ‍values ⁣and that it can trust. Incidents like this ‍are things that‌ break trust. ​It’s a really ‍big setback, and‍ it‌ really speaks to some ⁢of the issues with culture and‌ elements at ⁣SPD and also resistance to some of the accountability measures.”

Kandula, who was pursuing a⁢ master’s degree in ‍information systems at Northeastern University in Seattle, had plans to‌ support her mother in India.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases