US cop under probe after video of him laughing over death of Indian student surfaces

A Seattle police watchdog agency has launched an investigation after bodycam footage emerged of a police officer joking about the death of a 23yearold Indian student after she was struck by a speeding police patrol car earlier this year media reports saidJaahnavi Kandula was killed in January after she was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave He was driving 74 mph more than 119 kmph on the way to a report of an overdose The Seattle Times newspaper reported on MondayIn bodycam footage released on Monday by the Seattle Police Department Officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessaryIn the clip Auderer the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild was on a call with the guilds president Mike Solan He laughed several times saying at one point Yeah just write a cheque Eleven thousand dollars She was 26 anyway Auderer said in the video misstating Kandulas age She had limited value he was quoted as sayingAuderer said that Daves vehicle had been going 50 and that thats not out of control NBC News reportedA police investigation report referred to prosecutors for review last month said that Dave had been driving at 74 mph and Kandula was thrown more than 100 feet after the impact Thats not reckless for a trained driver Auderer said in the video adding that he doesnt believe she was thrown 40 feet either the report said But she is dead he said laughing and adding No its a regular personOnly Auderers side of the conversation was audible in the bodycam footageMeanwhile Auderer said that he made the comment as a mockery of lawyers according to KTTH radio station in Seattle He noted that Solan lamented the young womans death during the two officers initial conversation adding that it was unfortunate that her death would turn into lawyers arguing the value of human lifeI responded with something like Shes 26 years old What value is there Who cares I intended the comment as a mockery of lawyers Auderer was quoted as saying I was imitating what a lawyer tasked with negotiating the case would be saying and being sarcastic to express that they shouldnt be coming up with crazy arguments to minimise the payment he addedI 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 the officer saidAccording to the report Auderer acknowledged that anyone listening to the bodycamera recording would rightfully believe I was being insensitive to the loss of human life and said the comment was not made with malice or a hard heartThe Office of Police Accountability confirmed that an investigation had been initiated after the agency received a complaint on August 2 from an employee with the Seattle Police DepartmentThe oversight agency which investigates police misconduct and recommends discipline to the police chief is investigating the context in which the statements were made and whether any policies had been violated the police department saidKandula who hailed from Andhra Pradesh had been pursuing her masters degree at Northeastern University in Seattle according to a GoFundMe fundraiser launched to support her family The family has nothing to say her uncle Ashok Mandula was quoted as saying in the report Except I wonder if these mens daughters or granddaughters have value A life is a life he saidMeanwhile another Seattle police oversight organisation the Community Police Commission described the audio as heartbreaking and shockingly insensitive The people of Seattle deserve better from a police department that is charged with fostering trust with the community and ensuring public safety it said in a press release Especially in light of this video the hard work toward ensuring that the Seattle Police Department reflects the values of the community it polices and embraces transparent accountability will remain a top priority for the Seattle Community Police Commission it added