After footage was released this week of a Seattle police officer saying 23-year-old Jaanhavi Kandula’s life “had limited value” on the night of her death, those who knew and loved her want the world to know that the opposite is true.
Kandula was struck and killed by a different officer while she was crossing the street on Jan. 23. Officer Daniel Auderer, also the vice president of the police union, responded to the scene of the accident and was recorded on his body camera appearing to laugh about and make light of the woman’s death.
“Yeah, just write a check,” Auderer was recorded saying on a phone call. “She was 26 anyway,” he continued, getting Kandula’s age wrong. “She had limited value.”
The footage has drawn nationwide outrage since its release Monday, but it’s been especially painful for those close to Kandula, who say they’re being forced to mourn all over again.
“It is truly disturbing and saddening to hear insensible comments on the bodycam video from an SPD officer regarding Jaahnavi’s death,” Kandula’s family said in a statement. “Jaahnavi is a beloved daughter and beyond any dollar value for her mother and family. We firmly believe that every human life is invaluable and not [to] be belittled, especially during a tragic loss.”
At Northeastern University’s Seattle campus, where Kandula had been pursuing a master’s degree, students and staff struggled to contend with what they heard in the recording.
“It’s a second grieving,” said Khaled Bugrara, director of Northeastern’s graduate engineering programs and one of Kandula’s academic advisers. “As an educator, it’s my job to make sure these kids blossom in their lives and in their careers. And to feel it taken away from one of your students … it’s a horrible thing.”
Bugrara had been Kandula’s adviser since she moved from India to Seattle during the pandemic to start school at Northeastern. He described her as sharp, meticulous and full of energy….
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