City of Seattle reaches $29M settlement in death of graduate student hit by police officer
Feb 12, 2026, 6:17 AM | Updated: 3:12 pm
The main image shows dashcam video from the night Jaahnavi Kandula was struck and killed in Seattle. The inset image shows a photo of Kandula. (Images: Seattle Police Department; Jaahnavi Kandula's GoFundMe page; MyNorthwest photo compilation)
(Images: Seattle Police Department; Jaahnavi Kandula's GoFundMe page; MyNorthwest photo compilation)
The City of Seattle reached a settlement worth $29 million with the family of a 23-year-old graduate student from India three years after she was struck by a speeding police officer while crossing a street.
The graduate student, Jaahnavi Kandula, was hit in the crosswalk located at Dexter Avenue and Thomas Street by Seattle Police Department (SPD) Officer Kevin Dave, who was driving as fast as 74 mph in a 25-mph zone while responding to a drug overdose call. He had his emergency lights on and had been using his siren at intersections.
“Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, her friends, and to our community.”
Dave reported the incident to his superiors, including the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG), Dan Auderer, who was later caught laughing and joking about the incident during a recorded phone call.
“She is dead,” Auderer was heard saying on a phone call with SPOG President Mike Solan, according to captured bodycam footage. He said a check for $11,000 should just be written and laughed during the conversation. “She was 26 anyway. She had limited value,” Auderer added.
Auderer said that he intended the comment to be interpreted “as a mockery of lawyers” after international outrage mounted.
SPD Interim Chief Sue Rahr fired Auderer in the summer of 2024. Officer Dave was also dismissed in January 2025. Dave was additionally cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine, but King County prosecutors declined to file felony charges against him, claiming they could not prove he deliberately disregarded safety when he struck Kandula.
Kandula was a student at the Seattle campus of Northeastern University, working toward a master’s degree in information systems. Diplomats from India sought an investigation. The city’s civilian watchdog found the comments by Officer Daniel Auderer, who was a union leader, damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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