Seattle officer heard joking about woman's death violated department policy, OPA says

SPD to review policy after Jaahnavi Kandula's death

There is more pushback after body camera footage showed a Seattle police officer joking after a pedestrian was hit and killed by another officer.

SEATTLE - A year after a college student was hit and killed by a speeding Seattle Police cruiser responding to a call, an investigation by the Office for Police Accountability found that an officer heard on tape making callous remarks about the victim had actually violated the department's policies.

Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was hit and killed by a police cruiser on Jan. 23 while she was crossing the street in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. The officer was going 74 mph in a 25 mph zone while responding to a call.

Officer Daniel Auderer, who was heard on body cam footage making jokes about Kandula's death, was found to have violated department policy.

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In the video, Auderer said: "She is dead," he says before laughing. "No, it’s a regular person—yeah, yeah, just write a check, just, yeah," he laughs again. "$11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value."

OPA director Gino Betts Jr. called the remarks "Derogatory, disturbing, and inhumane."

He went on to say, "for many, it confirmed, fairly or not, beliefs that some officers devalue and conceal disparaging views about community members."

It's unclear what kind of disciplinary action Auderer could face for violating policy.

Auderer was not behind the wheel when Kandula died. Officer Dave Kane was driving, and it's unclear whether he will face any criminal charges. His lights and siren were not on, according to findings in the case.

This is a developing story.

FOX 13 will have updates as they become available.