Seattle Police Officer Under Investigation for Inappropriate Comments Following Fatal Accident
Seattle, Washington – A Seattle police officer is under investigation after his body-worn camera captured him making disrespectful comments about a woman who was fatally struck by a police car. The officer, identified as Daniel Auderer, was dispatched to a crash scene on January 23 after another officer hit and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula in a crosswalk while responding to a call.
According to police documents, Auderer, who is trained as a “drug recognition expert,” was sent to check if the officer who struck Kandula was impaired. The next day, Auderer’s body-worn camera recorded a phone conversation in which he can be heard laughing and saying the victim “had limited value.” The footage and a statement from the Seattle Police Department reveal Auderer’s disrespectful comments.
In the footage, Auderer can be heard explaining the incident and then laughing at a comment made by the person on the other end of the call. He dismissively states that the victim, who was mistakenly said to be 26 years old, “had limited value.” The comments have sparked outrage and have been called “heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive” by the co-chairs of the Seattle Community Police Commission.
Auderer, who is also the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, reportedly made the comments while speaking to union president Mike Solan. CNN has reached out to Auderer, Solan, and the Seattle Police Officers Guild for comment. Auderer has reportedly claimed that his comments were intended to mock city lawyers and their arguments to minimize compensation for the victim’s family.
However, the community police commission co-chairs argue that his explanation does not excuse his unprofessional and inhumane conduct. The Seattle Police Department has referred the incident to the Office of Police Accountability for investigation. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is also conducting a criminal review of the fatal crash.
The Indian Consulate General in San Francisco has called for a thorough investigation into Kandula’s death, expressing concern over the handling of the case. The consulate has reached out to local authorities and senior officials in Washington, DC, to address the matter.
The Seattle Police Department has expressed its condolences to the victim’s family and has assured them that their request for privacy will be honored. As the investigation unfolds, the department continues to extend sympathy for the tragic collision.
This incident raises questions about the conduct and accountability of police officers, highlighting the need for transparency and proper protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.