US cop Kevin Dave who killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula with patrol car dismissed from police force
PTC News Desk: A police officer Kevin Dave in Seattle who killed Jaahnavi Kandula in January 2023 has been dismissed from the police force. Another officer, Daniel Auderer, was fired earlier.
A 23 year old girl Jaahnavi Kandula was killed after police officer's patrol truck rammed into her while she was crossing a street in Seattle. He was driving at more than 119 km/h on the way to respond to a report of a drug overdose.
Kandula was thrown 100 feet when struck by the speeding police patrol vehicle.
The police department asserted that while it was not anintentional act, the tragic consequences of the reckless driving cannit be overlooked.
“I believe the officer did not intend to hurt anyone that night and that he was trying to get to a possible overdose victim as quickly as possible. However, I cannot accept the tragic consequences of his dangerous driving. His positive intent does not mitigate the poor decision that caused the loss of a human life and brought discredit to the Seattle Police Department," Seattle interim police chief Sue Rahr said.
The incident had sparked massive outrage and prompted India to seek proper investigation into the matter.
The King County prosecutors had initially claimed that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dave was consciously disregarding safety in the crash that killed Kandula. Later, he was slapped with a $5,000 fight for negligent driving.
- PTC NEWS
