Anniversary of Jaahnavi Kandula’s death brings decision in officer accountability investigation, vigil at East Precinct

Punishment is in the labor contract-limited hands of Chief Adrian Diaz as the civilian-led Office of Police Accountability has found Seattle Police veteran and union vice president Dan Auderer violated department rules when he joked about the January, 2023 death of 23-year-old student Jaahnavi Kandula with Seattle Police Officer Guild president Mike Solan.

Tuesday night, demonstrators gathered outside the East Precinct to mark the one-year anniversary of Kandula’s death. E Pine at 12th was reported briefly closed to traffic during the vigil and march.

“We will never stop fighting for Jaahnavi, until there is accountability and justice in her name,” one participant posted about the vigil. “We will continue to show up every year to remind these 2 how precious and valuable Jaahnavi’s life was. We will never forgive and we will never forget.”

“Yeah, just write a check,” Auderer said in a conversation caught accidentally on body-worn video as the officer joked on the phone about the incident in which a speeding SPD officer struck Kandula as she crossed the street. “Yeah, $11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value,” Auderer said.

Auderer has claimed his comments were made as sarcasm and “as a mockery of lawyers.”

The OPA discipline meeting for Auderer was scheduled to be held Tuesday with the recommendations provided to Diaz.

The chief has not yet publicly responded to the conclusion of the investigation or the recommendations.

“SPD prohibits ‘behavior that undermines public trust,’ including ‘any language that is derogatory, contemptuous or disrespectful toward any person,’” OPA said about the findings. “It also forbids prejudice or derogatory language about someone’s discernible personal characteristics,” describing Auderer’s words as “derogatory, disturbing and inhumane.”

Auderer, a cop who started as a rookie in the East Precinct in 2009 and had been serving as a “drug recognition expert” frequently called to collisions across the city, left his body camera running after responding to the South Lake Union scene where officer Kevin Dave struck and killed Kandula while speeding 74 mph to a reported overdose. Kandula was thrown 100 feet.

The Indian American Community Services organization is calling on officials to change SPD’s policies around high-speed responses, Publicola reports.

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