Seattle police officer fired for comments on death of Indian doctoral student

Officer Daniel Auderer has been fired from the Seattle Police Department, according to an internal email sent to the police department Wednesday evening. Auderer was caught on body camera laughing about the death of an Indian graduate student after she was run over by another officer in 2023.

Acting Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr informed department employees of her decision via email.

“Allowing the officer to remain on our force would only bring further shame to the entire department,” Rahr said. “For this reason, I will terminate his employment.”

Rahr said the case was based on “an extremely difficult decision about how to fairly weigh ‘intent and effect.'”

She cited several factors she considered in making her decision, including the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, a young college student, and the grief of her family.

Rahr said Auderer’s “cruel comments and callous laughter” caused deep pain to Kandula’s family and damaged public trust in the department.

“I believe the impact of his actions is so devastating that it cannot be mitigated by his intention to keep his conversation confidential,” Rahr wrote.

“The pain his words caused Ms. Kandula’s family cannot be erased. The actions of this single officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession and have made the job of every single officer more difficult.”

In January 2023, 23-year-old Kandula was struck by a patrol car traveling at more than 70 miles per hour while she was on her way to a 911 call about a drug overdose. Kandula, who had been in a marked crosswalk at the corner of Dexter Avenue and Thomas Street, was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she died.

Auderer was reacting to the scene in which he was caught on body camera laughing during a phone conversation with Officer Mike Solan, union president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Auderer was vice president of the police union.

Auderer can be heard laughing after saying, “She’s dead.” Then, to more laughter, he says, “Yeah, just write a check… $11,000. She was 26 anyway. Her value was limited.”

Auderer later explained in an interview that the call was a union matter and that his comments were not meant to mock Kandula but rather lawyers debating the value of life after a police killing.

Despite his claims that his comments in the video were taken out of context, the scandal made headlines around the world and damaged public trust in the Seattle Police Department at a critical time.

In a statement Wednesday evening, Mayor Bruce Harrell said, “Effective policing requires public trust. It cannot be effective if the people it serves have doubts about the motives, conduct or character of our officers. I support Police Chief Rahr’s decision because it recognizes our values ​​of accountability, continuous improvement and the public trust our officers need to protect the people of Seattle.”

Harrell said Auderer’s comments had “damaged the relationship between our Seattle Police Department and the communities our officers strive to keep safe.”

Rahr’s decision to fire Auderer was supported by an earlier report from the Office of Police Accountability, which said Auderer violated police standards when he made “inhumane” comments and laughed about a woman who was struck and killed by a police vehicle last year.

Gino Betts, director of the Office of Police Accountability, Seattle’s police oversight agency, said in a press release at the time that Auderer’s comments were “derogatory, disturbing and inhumane.”

“The officer’s comments undermined the public’s trust in the department, himself and his colleagues,” Betts said. “For many, it confirmed, whether justified or not, the belief that some officers devalue and conceal derogatory views about community members.”

Seattle police commanders also condemned Auderer’s behavior in January.

The commanders recommended the harshest possible disciplinary measure – 30 days without pay or the possibility of termination.

Kandula was a 23-year-old graduate student from India attending Northeastern University in Seattle. She was pursuing a Master of Science in Information Systems and was scheduled to graduate in December 2023.

This is an evolving story.