A Seattle police officer has been terminated following widespread outrage over his insensitive comments and laughter in the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed the life of an Indian student.

Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was fatally struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave on January 23. Dave was responding to a drug overdose call and was driving at a speed of 74 mph (119 km/h) when his vehicle hit Kandula, who was crossing the street. The impact threw Kandula 100 feet from the point of collision.

The incident drew significant public attention and condemnation after the Seattle Police Department released bodycam footage showing Officer Daniel Auderer making callous remarks about the fatal crash. In the footage, Auderer is heard laughing and stating, “Uh, I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes, flew off the car… But she is dead.” Following these comments, the Disciplinary Action Report noted that Auderer “laughed hard for four seconds.”

Interim Chief Sue Rahr addressed the situation in an internal email, acknowledging the profound hurt Auderer’s words caused to Kandula’s family and the broader community. “The hurt Auderer’s words have inflicted on Kandula’s family cannot be erased. The actions of this individual police officer have brought shame on the Seattle Police Department and our entire profession, making the job of every police officer more difficult,” Rahr stated.

As the leader of the department, Rahr emphasized the importance of upholding high standards to maintain public trust. “For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonour to the entire department. For that reason, I am going to terminate his employment,” she concluded in the internal email.