Seattle’s interim police chief said Monday she has fired a police officer who struck and killed an Indian graduate student in 2023 while responding to an overdose call.
Interim Police Chief Sue Rahr said in an email to employees that she fired Kevin Dave after the Seattle Office of Police Accountability found he violated four department policies, including one that calls for being responsible for safely driving a patrol vehicle, the Seattle Times reported. .
“I believe the officer had no intention of hurting anyone that night and was trying to reach a possible overdose victim as quickly as possible,” Rahr wrote. “However, I cannot accept the tragic consequences of his dangerous driving. His positive intentions do not mitigate the poor decision that caused the loss of life and discredited the Seattle Police Department.”
A message The Associated Press sent to the Seattle Police Officers Guild, a police union, through the group’s website was not immediately returned. Attempts to reach Dave were unsuccessful.
Rahr’s announcement comes nearly a year after King County prosecutors said they would not file felony charges against Dave, citing insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dave consciously disregarded safety in the crash that killed Jaahnavi Kandula was killed.
The Seattle City Attorney’s Office later fined Dave $5,000 for negligent driving. Prosecutors said Dave was driving as fast as 70 miles per hour on a street with a 25-mile-per-hour speed limit before crashing into Kandula. After initially contesting the ticket, Dave recently agreed to pay it, complete an eight-hour traffic safety course within a year and perform 40 hours of community service by Sept. 30, according to records filed in municipal court submitted.
Kandula’s death sparked outrage, especially after a recording from another officer’s body-worn camera surfaced, in which that officer laughed and suggested that Kandula’s life had “limited value” and that the city should “just write a check.” Diplomats from India have launched an investigation. The city’s civilian watchdog found that comments by Officer Daniel Auderer, a union leader, damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust. Auderer was later fired.
Kandula’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Dave.
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