SPD fires officer heard laughing about death of 23-year-old

(The Center Square) – A Seattle police officer who was found to have made crude comments about a pedestrian who was struck and killed by a Seattle police vehicle in January 2023 has been terminated by the department.

Public outcry arose after the Seattle Police Department released footage showing Seattle Police Officers Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer on a phone call confirming the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, who was hit and killed by a marked Seattle police vehicle going 74 mph in an intersection.

After Auderer is heard confirming that the pedestrian had died, he laughs in response.

“It’s a regular person – just write a check – $11,000; she was 26 anyways, she had limited value,” Auderer said, getting Kandula's age wrong, in the released body-worn camera footage.

The Center Square obtained an internal email sent by Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr explaining her decision to terminate Auderer. Rahr wrote that the far-reaching impact of Auderer’s comments reflect the department as well as the law enforcement profession.

She added that she knew Auderer was well-regarded “if not beloved” by many fellow officers and supervisors and had done many positive things during his career.

However, Rahr finds that Auderer’s comments correlated with a worsening division with the public. In fact, she found that even pro-police Seattleites felt the dehumanizing laughter heard on the video is more outrageous and disturbing than the death of Kandula.

“The officer’s laughter and callous comments about the 'limited value' of Ms. Kandula’s life displayed a cruel mockery of the sanctity of her life. That is a betrayal of that sacred trust,” Rahr said in the email. “Not only did his comments irrevocably break the public’s trust in the officer, individually, but they caused extreme damage to the public’s trust of the entire Seattle Police Department.”

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell backed Rahr’s decision, emphasizing the need to fix the public trust of the police department.

“Effective policing requires public trust – it cannot be effective if the people being served have doubts about our officers' motivations, conduct, or character,” Harrell said in a statement emailed to The Center Square. “The insensitive comments and behavior by the officer caught on tape damaged the relationship between our Seattle Police Department and the communities our officers strive to keep safe – simply put, this incident damaged the public trust we have been working to strengthen since day one of my administration.”

Harrell said his office will work in collaboration with Rahr to ensure policing is rooted in public trust by fostering safety through a community-based approach.

The Center Square previously reported on Auderer claiming that he laughed at the ridiculousness of how incidents such as Kandula being hit and killed by a marked Seattle police vehicle are litigated. He said he has seen how the ridiculousness of these incidents have played out as two parties bargain over a tragedy.