A US police officer has been dismissed for making insensitive remarks about the death of an Indian student, stating her life was of “limited value.”
According to The Seattle Times, the Seattle Police Department condemned officer Daniel Auderer’s comments about Jaahnavi Kandula’s death as “vile” and callous.
Kandula, 23, was fatally struck by a police vehicle in January while crossing a street near her university.
Mr. Auderer, who responded to the incident, was recorded laughing and referring to her as a “regular person,” suggesting the city should “just write a cheque.”
The remarks were captured on his body camera during a call to a colleague.
“But she is dead,” Mr Auderer was heard saying before laughing. “No, it’s a regular person. Yeah, just write a cheque,” he said, before laughing again.
“Eleven thousand dollars. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value,” he added.
The video was widely shared on social media, sparking outrage online.
On Wednesday, Seattle Police Department’s interim chief Sue Rahr announced Mr. Auderer’s termination in a department-wide email.
She stated that Mr. Auderer’s actions had brought shame to the entire department and the police profession.
She added that his “cruel and callous laughter” and the pain it inflicted on Kandula’s family could not outweigh his good reputation among colleagues and years of service to the community.
“For me to allow the officer to remain on our force would only bring further dishonor to the entire department. For that reason, I am going to terminate his employment,” she said.
Mr. Auderer had been placed under investigation following the incident.
The Office of Police Accountability, the agency that investigates police misconduct, recommended Mr. Auderer’s termination for unprofessional conduct and showing bias in recorded statements, the Seattle Times reported.
Jaahnavi Kandula was a graduate student at Northeastern University in Seattle.
The officer who struck her with his patrol vehicle was traveling at 74 mph (119 km/h), and she was thrown more than 100 feet (30 meters), according to US media reports.