Jaahnavi Kandula's death: ‘Videos taken out of context’, says Seattle Police
1 min read 16 Sep 2023, 12:44 PM ISTSeattle Police Officers' Guild defends officer's insensitive remarks about Indian student's death, says videos taken out of context.
PremiumThe Seattle Police Officers' Guild has defended the callous remarks of its official who was found making insensitive comments after the horrific death of Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in the United States. It said that the viral videos of police actions shared on the internet were taken out of context.
A shocking video of a US cop has come out where he was caught laughing and making jokes about a young Indian woman who was killed by his colleague Officer Kevin Dave earlier this year.
On Monday, the Seattle Police Department released footage from accused officer Daniel Auderer's body camera. Following this, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco has raised concerns over the handling of Jaahnavi Kandula's death.
Auderer, in the video, can be heard saying, "Yeah, just write a cheque. USD 11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value."
In an official statement, the Seattle Police Officers Guild said, “The video captures only one side of the conversation. There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet."
Officer Auderer clarified that his statement was taken out of context during a private call he didn't know was being recorded by his department-issued body camera.
The Seattle Police Officers' Guild said the videos shared by the media fail to explain the full context, according to a report published by the news agency PTI.
“There is much more detail and nuance that has not been made public yet… SPOG has full confidence that the civilian-led police accountability system known as the Office of Police Accountability/OPA will conduct a thorough and fair investigation," the guild said.
The petitioners urge the authorities responsible for overseeing law enforcement personnel decisions in Seattle to immediately terminate Auderer from his position, conduct thorough background checks during recruitment processes, implement stricter accountability measures within law enforcement agencies, and provide comprehensive training on appropriate behavior towards victims and their families, as per PTI reports.
On 23 January, Kevin Dave struck and killed Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, in a crosswalk. Dave was driving 74 mph (119 kmh) on the way to an overdose call, and Auderer, a drug recognition expert, was assigned to evaluate whether Dave was impaired.
India has raised the matter strongly with the US authorities for a thorough investigation and action against those guilty in the case.
(With PTI inputs)
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