Seattle's interim police chief fired Monday the officer who fatally shot a 23-year-old graduate student of India with his patrol vehicle in January 2023 while responding to a call. The case sparked outrage and attracted a lot of attention after another officer was recorded on his body-worn camera making stupid comments about Jaahnavi Kandula's death.
In an email to department members obtained by NBC News, interim Police Chief Sue Rahr said Monday that she made the decision to fire Kevin Dave after the Seattle Police Accountability Office determined that he had broken four department policies, including one that requires the safe. operation of police vehicles.
Dave had been driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone on his way to the overdose call, according to his police investigation report.
“I believe the officer did not intend to hurt anyone that night and was trying to get to an overdose victim as quickly as possible,” Rahr wrote. , I cannot accept the dire consequences of his dangerous driving. His positive intent does not diminish the poor decision that resulted in the loss of human life and brought him into disrepute. Seattle Police Dept.
Dave had been with the department for four years. He could not immediately be reached Tuesday at phone numbers and email addresses listed for him or through his LinkedIn account.
The Seattle Police Officers Association, a police union, could not immediately be reached by phone and a request sent through its website was not immediately responded to.
The King County Prosecutor's Office reviewed the case last year and announced that February he would not press criminal charges against Davesaying there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he “knowingly disregarded safety” when he fatally struck Kandula in an intersection on January 23, 2023.
The prosecutor's office then said Dave had his emergency lights on and other pedestrians reported hearing his siren. He also said it appeared that Kandula was trying to run across the intersection after seeing his vehicle approaching and that she may also be wearing wireless headphones that could to have reduced her hearing.
The city fined Dave $5,000 for negligent driving.
Kandula's death gained international attention after being recorded by then-officer Daniel Auderer's body-worn camera released in September 2023. Auderer can be heard laughing in the video, and suggests that Kandula's life had “limited value” and that the city should “just write a check.” Auderer was sent out to determine if Dave was impaired when he hit Kandula, throwing him over 100 feet.
Local activists had demanded justice for Kandula as diplomats from India also called for an investigation. Kandula, who was born in India, was a graduate student at Northeastern University's Seattle campus.
The police department has said it learned about the conversation from a concerned employee who overheard it “in the normal course of business”. That employee raised concerns through the chain of command and after reviewing the video, the president's office forwarded it to the Police Accountability Office for investigation, as which is required by the department's policy and the city's accountability ordinance.
Auderer accidentally left his body camera on while on a call with the president of the association. Auderer and the association, of which he was vice president at the time, expressed his views taken out of context. In a letter he wrote to the director of the Police Accountability Office more than six months after Kandula's killing and disclosure of his existence, Auderer said he was echoing what a lawyer he relied on said. to negotiate the case “and be. sarcastic to point out that they shouldn't be coming up with crazy arguments to reduce their pay.
rahr shot Auderer in July. In a department-wide email, she said Auderer's words and actions on camera had tarnished the reputation of Seattle police.
In that email, Rahr also said that many executives and supervisors “regarded him very much,” “if not loved him,” Rahr said.
“I believe the impact of his actions is so devastating that it cannot be mitigated by his intention to keep his conversation private. The hurt her words caused to Ms. Kandula's family cannot be erased,” Rahr said. The actions of “this individual police officer have brought shame to the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the work of every police officer more difficult,” she said.
Rahr admitted that she may have been unhappy with her decision to fire Dave.
“I understand and accept that many will disagree with this decision,” she wrote in the department-wide email sent Monday. “This case is difficult on every level and will have a lifelong impact on everyone involved. I hope this heartbreaking situation serves as a lasting reminder to emergency responders: Never lose sight of the danger created by excessive speed when responding to emergency calls.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
