There is outrage at the statements, caught on a body camera recording, of a Seattle Police officer in the wake of one of the force's police cars hitting and killing 26-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula earlier this year.
The recently released report by the Seattle Office of Police Accountability included footage from January 24th, in which officer Daniel Auderer mocked the incident and referenced possible actions the department could take. He strongly implied that the department could make a settlement with the family.
“Yeah, just write a check — $11,000. She had limited value.”
The officer, Kevin Dave, was going significantly above the speed limit when he hit Kandula in the crosswalk, sending her flying over 100 feet. The conversation that Auderer was heard having over his body cam was with the president of the Seattle Police Officer's Guild, where Auderer is Vice President.
A surge of outraged protest against the Seattle Police Force has come from the South Asian community in Canada and the USA, with petitions headed towards officials in Washington and also federally for some measure of oversight and restitution.
Bodycam footage: SPD officer heard laughing about woman being hit, killed by cop carwww.youtube.com
Upon the video's release, many people expressed disgust for Auderer's words.
People called for accountability.
People called for Auderer to lose his job, at the very least.
Others brought up the now constant refrain of defunding the police.
Someone pointed out that this audio could only help any case against the officer that killed her.
Others weren't very optimistic about a resolution.
Some people wondered what they might say when the body camera isn't on.
No, there's nothing "darkly" humorous about any of this.
The Seattle Police Department will not comment until the conclusion of the Office of Police Accountability investigation into Kandula's death.
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