'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Daniel Auderer, a Seattle police union leader, is under fire after he was caught on camera laughing about an Indian student, Jaahnavi Kandula, killed by a police cruiser, saying her life had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check for $11,000.
The incident occurred on January 23, 2023, when a Seattle police officer, Kevin Dave, driving at a speed of 4mph (119 km/h), struck and killed Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student, on a crosswalk. The impact caused Kandula to be thrown more than 100ft in the air before she died at the scene.
At the time, Daniel Auderer, a drug-recognition expert, was called to the scene to evaluate whether Officer Kevin Dave was impaired when he struck the student. While responding to the incident, Auderer Body Cam caught an audio call between him and union president, Mike Solan. While Solan was inaudible, Audere was heard joking about the woman’s death.
In the video that caught the audible interaction between Daniel Auderer and Mike Sloan, the former can be heard saying Officer Dave was not “out of control” when he killed Kandula. Audere was then heard saying, “She is Dead '' before breaking into a laugh. During the course of the call, while Sloan remained inaudible, Auderer continued to laugh while misstating the young woman’s age. He said:
“No, it’s a regular person. Yeah. Just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26 anyway. She had limited value."
On Monday, the Seattle police department said that the video was discovered "in the routine course of business by a department employee. who, concerned about the nature of statements heard on that video, appropriately escalated their concerns through their chain of command." The department said that the matter is under investigation before the Office of Police Accountability.
Daniel Auderer is a vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild
Daniel Auderer is a vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, the largest police labor union in the Northwest. He is also cited as a drug-recognition expert who has worked in the force for over two decades. Auderer is a 49-year-old Lacey Washington Native who graduated from North Thurston High School.
The 49-year-old has now drawn criticism over his response to the officer-related death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula. The audio that captured him laughing about the incident has gone viral and sparked outrage. Victoria Beach, Chair of the African-American Community Advisory Council for the Seattle Police Department, slammed the officer’s remarks as disgusting as they tarnish the image of the department and reflected on the conduct of every officer in the country.
“This just taints it. Not only for Seattle officers but for every officer in our country. That shows you their culture. That some of us are valued and some aren’t. Some lives are valued and some aren’t and it doesn’t look good. I’m just feeling angry and saddened for the family. Could you imagine that being your loved one that they’re mocking?"
Joel Merkel, Co-Chair of the Seattle Community Police Commission, echoed Beach’s statements, saying that Auderer’s conduct would potentially serve as a harbinger of officers' attitude toward police accountability.
“What it says about the police’s views on accountability provisions is the joke was ostensibly about lawyers cutting a check and accountability for police officers when they break policy or rules. He’s [Auderer] out there sworn to serve and protect our community and he’s joking about a member of our community that just died. It’s just awful and heartbreaking and just disgusting.”
Kiro 7, citing public records, reported that this wasn't the first time Officer Daniel Auderer's conduct has raised concerns in the community. However, the report did not further elaborate.
Daniel Auderer defends troubling remarks in the audio call
In the wake of the backlash, Daniel Auderer, in a statement to conservative talk radio host on KTTH-AM, Jason Rantz, defended himself, saying that his words were taken out of context
"I intended the comment as a mockery of lawyers. I laughed at the ridiculousness of how these incidents are litigated and the ridiculousness of how I watched these incidents play out as two parties bargain over a tragedy."
Jaahnavi Kandula from Andhra Pradesh, India, was working toward graduating in December 2023 with a master's degree in information systems from the Seattle campus of Northeastern University. The 23-year-old’s uncle, who lives in Houston, told the Seattle Times that the family had nothing to say on the video but questioned if the officer's children had any value before poignantly noting "A life is a life."
