By Aaron Miller-
Newly released bodycam video reveals the moment a Seattle police officer struck and killed an Indian grad student in January while responding to a call.
The video which has received over 14,000 views shows the police officer, named as Kevin Dave, fatally killed a 23-year-old Northeast University graduate student, Jaahnavi Kandula (pitured), in the crosswalk while racing to a priority call.
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The Seattle police officer admitted later that he made a mistake after fatally crashing into the grad student without his siren at 74 miles per hour. He said, “I f**ked up”.
However, authorities have said that it will not be until August before it is decided whether the cop will be charged with an offence, although an initial statement from the authorities have said they do not believe the killing was intentional.
Police said the officer was not suspended but was merely told to take off their shift following the crash as a ‘release day’ to deal with a ‘traumatic or upsetting’ experience.
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The force remains committed to determining whether the officer who was speeding past red lights complied fully with policy.
The footage released by prosecutors and published in part by PubliCola late last week, showed Dave did not have his siren running consistently as he ploughed into the 23-year-old student.
The video shared by the outlet did not include the moment Dave’s car hit the young woman, out of respect for Kandula’s family.
A loud roar from Dave’s patrol car can be heard as the speedometer shows he accelerated up to 74 miles per hour when The speed limits at the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street are 25 and 20 mph respectively.
The bodycam footage was first published by Publicola. According to the news outlet, the King County Prosecutor’s Office is still deciding whether to charge Dave with a crime.
The intersection’s crosswalks are heavily marked by bright yellow reflective indicators, a large neon sign and are surrounded by bike lanes and a wide median.
The officer was heard on the bodycam telling a responding officer, ‘Lights were on. I was chirping the sirens…she was in the crosswalk.’
‘She saw me, she started running through the crosswalk. Slammed on my breaks. Started staying back where she should before crossing.’
The video showed the officer speeding past red lights and slowing down slightly before the young woman was hit.
Dave was on his way to a priority-one call, classified as the highest importance of calls when the tragic incident occured. The call was regarding a man who had overdosed on drugs but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
Kandula had arrived in Seattle from Bengaluru, India in 2021. She was pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems at the College of Engineering, and was set to graduate this December.
Cops are not investigating the wreck as a use of force case and noted they did not believe the officer had intended to hit Kandula.
‘At this point in the investigation, we have no reason to believe the officer intended to hit that woman,’ a Seattle police spokesperson previously said.
Dave has worked as an officer since November 2019.
There are still questions as to whether the student had not careful enough to avoid the speeding cop car.
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