Seattle, WA
India 'strongly' raises Jaahnavi Kandula case with authorities after cop who killed her escapes charges
In bodycam footage released by the Seattle Police Department, Officer Daniel Auderer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary.
On Wednesday, the King County Prosecutorâs Office said they would not move forward with criminal charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave due to a lack of evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt.
India’s consulate in Seattle also said it was monitoring the progress in the case and will extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Kandula and her family.
“On the recently released investigation report of the King County Prosecution Attorney on the unfortunate death of Jaahnavi Kandula, the Consulate has been in regular touch with the designated family representatives and will continue to extend all possible support in ensuring justice for Jaahnavi and her family,” the mission said in a post on X.
“We have also raised the matter strongly with local authorities, including Seattle Police for appropriate redress. The case has now been referred to the Seattle City Attorneyâs office for review,” the post said on Friday.
It also said the mission was waiting for the completion of Seattle Police’s administrative investigation and will continue monitoring the progress in the case.
Members of the South Asian community as well as local people had staged protests demanding justice for the Indian student who died tragically.
In the statement on Wednesday, the King County Prosecuting Attorney said: “Kandulaâs death is heartbreaking and impacted communities in King County and across the world.”
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said that she believes they lack the evidence to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt, the statement said.
“It is the responsibility of the King County Prosecuting Attorneyâs Office to review all available evidence relating to the case involving Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave and the January 2023 collision death of Jaahnavi Kandula. After staffing this case with senior deputy prosecuting attorneys and office leadership, I have determined that we lack sufficient evidence under Washington State law to prove a criminal case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The statement also said that the prosecutor’s office finds the comments made by Seattle Police Officer Daniel Auderer, recorded on his body-worn video, “appalling and deeply troubling”.
Auderer, who was not involved in the January collision, was captured in the video saying, “But she is dead” and laughing while on the phone.
She was 26 anyway,” Auderer said in the video. “She had limited value.”
“Officer Audererâs comments were also unprofessional and undermined the publicâs trust in the Seattle Police Department and law enforcement in general,” said Manion.
“As egregious as Officer Audererâs comments are, they do not change the PAOâs legal analysis of the conduct of Officer Dave. It is the Office of Police Accountability that bears the responsibility of disciplinary investigation and proceedings relating to Officer Audererâs comment, not the PAO.”
Auderer was pulled from patrol in September 2023 and reassigned to a “non-operational position”.
Auderer could still be fired after the fallout of his insensitive comments captured on bodycam.
Auderer’s chain of command and the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) found he acted unprofessionally. For that, he faces the highest disciplinary range of nearly two weeks suspension up to termination, according to a disciplinary action report.
Seattle local media reported that speed was the cause of the collision, as the speed at which Dave was travelling did “not allow (Kandula) or him sufficient time to detect, address and avoid a hazard that presented itself”.
Dave was responding to a “priority one” call at the request of the Seattle Fire Department, according to the Seattle Police Department. According to the police report, the officer was responding to a report of a drug overdose.
The officer did not have his siren activated continuously. Instead, the officer “chirped” his siren at the intersection. He did have his emergency lights on, according to a previous statement from the police department.
In a memo to Seattle police, prosecutors wrote there was not enough evidence to prove Dave showed “conscious disregard for others safety”.
A drug recognition expert responded to the scene and found no impairment in the officer.
Kandula was a graduate student at Northeastern University at the Seattle campus. The university in January 2023 said they would award her degree posthumously and present it to her family.
SEATTLE — Following the news of likely new ownership for the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the upcoming 2026 season, many questions linger about the future of the franchise.
The Paul G. Allen Estate announced Saturday that it had entered a formal sales agreement with tech billionaire Vinod Khosla, and his family to sell the team for $9.6 billion, as reported by ESPN. The Khosla family currently owns a minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers, which they would need to divest.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Paul Allen estate agrees to sell Seattle Seahawks to ownership group led by Khosla family
The sale would be unprecedented for multiple reasons; not only would a $9.6 billion price tag make this the highest team purchase in NFL history, surpassing the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023, but this will also be the first time a team has been sold immediately after winning the Super Bowl.
Taking ownership of reigning Super Bowl champions will put the Khosla family in a unique position. Often when NFL teams are sold, they’re not in a great stead, said Dick Fain of Seattle Sports Radio KJR.
“So, they need a new general manager, they need a new president, maybe they need a new head coach,” Fain explained. “The Seahawks need none of that right now.”
Fain, and most other industry experts, are confident the Khosla family knows to leave football operations largely untouched and remain under the leadership of General Manager John Schneider and Head Coach Mike Macdonald. New owners should, instead, focus on business operations, Fain added.
Many have suggested a facelift for Lumen Field could be the first “order of business.” The Seahawks’ stadium lease will run through 2032, and like any stadium over the years, Fain thinks Lumen Field would benefit from renovations and potentially increasing capacity by 5,000 to 10,000 seats, especially if Seattle wants to secure another global stage opportunity.
“Based upon what we just saw with the World Cup, this city is absolutely able to host a Super Bowl,” Fain said.
Unlike the Allen family and the team’s original owners, the Nordstrom family, the Khoslas are not from Seattle, nor do they have any known, direct ties to the area. Talk of a stadium lease expiring and outside ownership has naturally sparked fans’ fear of the team leaving the Emerald City.
But those are expected to remain as unsubstantiated fears. A franchise relocation deal would need to be approved by a league of NFL team owners, which rarely does so out of established, successful markets.
“This is a very different situation than Clayton Bennett [and the Supersonics]. This is a very different situation than Jeff Smulyan and the Mariners,” Fain said. “This team’s not going anywhere.”
In a statement released on behalf of their family, Vinod Khosla acknowledged that the group will have to earn the trust of the Seahawks organization and its fans. He also wrote that their family looks forward to building on “Paul Allen’s winning legacy.”
While making his debut at the 2026 American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada, Macdonald told a reporter he was excited but that “nothing really changes on our front” at this point.
“It’s a great chapter in Seahawks history, and I look forward to getting to know everybody,” Macdonald said.
The NFL is expected to approve the team’s sale to the Khosla family during an August meeting, according to ESPN.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Portlanders are being invited to help BIKETOWN mark its 10th birthday with what organizers hope will become a new world record: the largest electric bicycle party and ride.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation is organizing a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt on Sunday, July 19, aiming to beat the current record set in Seattle in 2018 with 405 e-bikes. PBOT is seeking the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Largest Electric Bicycle Party and Ride.
Riders will gather at Salmon Springs, the fountain in Tom McCall Waterfront Park, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m., and the ride is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. from Southwest Naito Parkway and Southwest Salmon Street. PBOT said the date is “10-years-to-the-day since BIKETOWN service started with a maiden voyage group ride across the Willamette River.”
“I can’t wait to see all of Portland come out to celebrate the ways BIKETOWN has transformed our community,” PBOT Director Millicent Williams said. “Since 2016, BIKETOWN has introduced thousands of Portlanders to biking, and e-bikes in particular, and made biking more accessible for more people. By breaking this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title, we will remind everyone of Portland’s place at the front of the pack of leading bike cities across the nation.”
PBOT said the event is designed for massive participation and will follow a 2-mile loop that includes Tilikum Crossing, the Eastbank Esplanade and the Hawthorne Bridge, taking place mostly on the Waterfront and Eastbank Esplanade. Organizers said participants should expect a slow ride with some stops and are asked to stay on the route to be counted, while watching for pedestrians and other riders.
People riding personal e-bikes and pedal bikes are welcome, though PBOT said only e-bikes will be counted toward the record attempt. PBOT said registration is strongly encouraged to ensure riders are counted and that participants will need to provide their e-bike make and model. Riders are also encouraged to arrive early to check in and get a bib.
For people without an e-bike, PBOT said BIKETOWN will have bikes available to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis, with early registration recommended. Riders must be 16 or older to use BIKETOWN.
After the ride, PBOT said the event will conclude with a celebration featuring vendors, refreshments and remarks from City of Portland and BIKETOWN partners. PBOT said an official judge from Guinness World Records is expected to verify the attempt and confirm whether Portland set a new record.
PBOT also encouraged participants to head to the Portland Pride Parade and Festival afterward. The first 1,000 people who register for the ride will receive free entry to the Pride Festival, supported by BIKETOWN founding partner and title sponsor Nike.
PBOT said the event is possible with financial support from Nike, with additional support from Lyft and the City of Portland.
BIKETOWN launched July 19, 2016, with 1,000 bikes. PBOT said the system has deployed 3,000 electric pedal-assist bicycles serving a 50.5-square-mile service area, including portions of East Portland. BIKETOWN is a partnership between the City of Portland’s PBOT and Nike, and is operated by Lyft.
Seattle – Our pleasant weekend continues as afternoon highs remain a few degrees cooler than normal. Onshore flow will keep many along the coastal regions in the low 60s, while the interior lowlands warm into the 70s to close out our weekend.
Onshore flow will continue to keep afternoon highs cooler than normal.
Stronger onshore flow, along with a weak disturbance to our north will increase clouds on Sunday morning with a few spots potentially seeing a stray light shower. Clouds will quickly begin to clear by the afternoon with sunnier skies by midday.
Sunday will begin cloudy with sunnier skies by the afternoon.
A stretch of warmer weather is heading our way beginning Tuesday when we warm into the 80s, and it sticks around into the upcoming weekend.
A stretch of 80 degree days are ahead!
-
Tennessee5 minutes agoEverything Tennessee Basketball Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky Said During Summer Practice | Rocky Top Insider
-
Texas11 minutes agoTalarico, Paxton campaigning in Texas this week. See events
-
Utah17 minutes agoKSL News Daily: The nuclear debate Utah can’t avoid – KSLNewsRadio
-
Vermont23 minutes agoThe nation is craving protein, but Vermont dairy isn’t cashing in
-
Virginia29 minutes agoStudy: VA the fourth most ‘retirement-friendly’ state
-
Washington35 minutes agoWhat is the Farmer’s Almanac fall forecast for the Washington DC area?
-
Wisconsin41 minutes agoWisconsin April storm victims get tax relief until Nov. 2, 2026
-
West Virginia47 minutes agoBridgeport named ‘Best Place to Live in West Virginia’ by popular website, Morgantown rounds out top 10
