Ramit Mehrotra, Pune
The Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who struck and killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula while responding to a trauma call, will not face any criminal charges due to insufficient evidence, according to the authorities. The King County Prosecutor issued a statement, saying they would proceed to levy any charges against the officer. The controversy surrounding this case caught fire when the bodycam footage revealed the officer’s inappropriate comments after the incident.
Former Pierce County prosecutor Mark Lindquist says if a civilian were driving the car, this would classify as a vehicular homicide. Dave’s status as a police officer and a government servant changes the focal point of the investigation. He adds that if any layman were driving a car speeding thrice at the prescribed normal rate, which leads to the death of a pedestrian, he would be liable for legal action. However, a police officer carries extra privileges as he is bound by duty. The officer was on a priority call and hence could not gain control over his speed.
He pointed the standards of proof are substantially higher in criminal offences than civil.
On January 2023, Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula was hit by a police car by Seattle police Kevin Dave while crossing the street. Dave was driving the car, at an excessive speed of 120 mph when he hit Kandula. The impact was so massive that she was flung 100m in the air, which led to an instantaneous death.
The prosecuting attorney made a statement that the King County police must review all charges and pieces of evidence against Officer Kevin Dave. In September 2023, a video surfaced on social media where another officer mocked the death of Jaahnavi Kandula.
The prosecuting attorney also added that Officer Daniel Auderer, who was present at the scene was very unprofessional and made unpleasant comments about such a grave incident. She said that the comments made by Officer Auderer’s comments were deeply hurtful and shouldn’t be sidelined based on authority and government liberty. The police officer stands accountable for his actions and suitable action needs to be taken on an urgent basis.
Jaahnavi Kandula was a master’s student from Andhra Pradesh, who was pursuing a degree in Seattle’s Northwestern University.