Getting into the dream university, acquiring a student visa, investing a ton of money, uprooting your life from your homeland, and trusting that the new country would not endanger your life is a hell of a leap of faith.
Jaahanvi Kandula, a young girl with big dreams from the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, took up the challenge of pursuing her goals, no matter what. Immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree, she prepared to fly across seven seas to further her education.
With determination, confidence, perseverance, and the encouragement of her single mother as her strengths, she got into a reputed student exchange program in 2021.
The 23-year-old student got into the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union and was pursuing a master’s degree in information systems. She was about to graduate in December this year.
Someone had the nerve to steal her life, while the other had the audacity to put his 2 cents on the value of her life.
On January 23, 2023, Jaahanvi was walking along the crosswalk. Suddenly, a rogue police car struck her at a speed of 74mph, throwing her off 100 feet. She was immediately taken to Harbourview Medical Centre but was pronounced dead upon arriving.
The police officer behind the wheels that killed Jaahanvi Kandula was Kevin Dave, who was rushing to attend an overdose call. Daniel Auderer, a drug recognition expert, was deployed to check whether Dave was impaired. However, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild was caught on camera bursting into laughter on a call with union president Mike Sloan, exclaiming, “She had limited value.”
This insensitively inhumane comment sparked an outrage over how the one who is supposed to protect the people is valuing someone’s life. This profiling and laughter is not just unethical but has also probed an investigation into the matter after the body cam footage was released on Monday.
Who Are Daniel Auderer & Kevin Dave?
Kevin Dave, the 35-year-old police officer, started his service with the Seattle Police Department in 2020. The Seattle native is responsible for attending emergency calls and was in charge of misdemeanors.
On January 23, he was rushing to check on a 911 emergency call for an overdose case. He killed a promising young woman, Jaahanvi, by rashly driving the cruiser at 74 mph.
But the next police officer strips away all dignity of the profession by making callous remarks about the dead.
Daniel Auderer, the 49-year-old Lacey Washington native, served the police force for 20 years and works as a drug recognition expert. He graduated from North Thurston High School. As a senior officer, he was appointed Vice President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Daniel was himself involved in 29 incidents of misconduct.
On the unfateful night, Auderer was called to verify whether Kevin Dave was under any influence or abusing substances. From the body camera footage, it was determined that he was on a call with someone. A later investigation suggested he was on a call with union president Mike Sloan.
These are some of the transcripts from the call–
“She is dead,” Auderer said before he started laughing.
He then calls Jaahnavi “just a regular person.”
Auderer continues with insensitive comments: “Yeah, just write a cheque. Eleven thousand dollars.”
And then he states her age incorrectly and says:
“She was 26 anyway, she had limited value”.
Daniel Auderer’s Defense
A conservative KTTH talk radio host, Jason Rantz, claimed that his show obtained an official statement in which Auderer self-reported his comments to the police department–
“I was imitating what a lawyer tasked with negotiating the case would be saying and being sarcastic to express that they shouldn’t be coming up with crazy arguments to minimize the payment.”
Rantz said during his show that Auderer has stated in the document that the comments were “not made with malice.”
Auderer further wrote– “I do understand that if a citizen were to hear it, they would rightfully believe I was being insensitive to the loss of a human life.”
However, the community police commission co-chairs disagreed with this defense and said–
“The reported explanation that he was mocking lawyers does not make this unprofessional and inhumane conduct any better because it shows … a callous dismissiveness toward police accountability systems.”
Jaahnavi’s uncle Ashok Mandula, who lives in Houston, questioned if the officer’s children had any value, as he told the Seattle Times, “A life is a life.”
What is your verdict on this case? Do you believe Auderer’s defense to be valid? Do you think Auderer should be suspended from the force?
Well, The U.S has a name for police brutality, increased crime rates, and officer Daniel Auderer doesn’t seem to have a clean track record either.
Let us know in the comments section below, and share this story to every person you know.
