The city of Seattle reached a $29 million settlement Feb. 4 with the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a student on Northeastern’s Seattle campus who was fatally struck in 2023 by a speeding police officer.
Kandula, a 23-year-old information systems master’s student, was struck on a crosswalk January 2023 as former Seattle Police Department, or SPD, officer Kevin Dave was responding to a “priority one” overdose.
The Kandula family originally sought more than $110 million in damages. Two days before the settlement was reached, Kandula’s father, Kandula Srikanth, died of a heart attack in India, The Hindu reported.
“While no amount can ever bring Jaahnavi back, we hope this resolution reflects the seriousness of what was lost and underscores the value of her life,” her family said in a written statement published by The New York Times. “She was cherished beyond measure, and her future was full of promise.”
In January 2025, SPD fired Dave over violating four department policies, including one that requires officers to modify their emergency response when appropriate and another stating officers are responsible for the safe operation of their police vehicle. An investigation found that at the time of the collision, Dave was traveling 74 mph in a 25 mph zone while “chirping” his siren.
In March 2024, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office issued a $5,000 traffic fine against Dave, which he failed to pay on time, resulting in an additional $52 late fee, KOMO News previously reported. He was never criminally charged in Kandula’s death.
The case gained national attention upon the release of body camera footage in September 2023 in which officer Daniel Auderer, who was assigned to evaluate Dave for signs of impairment on the night of the incident, is heard mocking Kandula’s death.
In the footage, Auderer, who was then the vice president for the Seattle Police Officers Guild, or SPOG, said, “It’s a regular person … yeah, just write a check,” while on the phone with SPOG President Mike Solan. “Eleven thousand dollars, she was 26 [sic] anyways, she had limited value.”
According to the incident report, Dave hit Kandula at 63 mph, throwing her 138 feet from the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street.
Both officers have fought their terminations. In July 2024, SPD fired Auderer, who filed a $20 million wrongful termination lawsuit, claiming his comments were “taken out of context” and his firing was the city’s attempt to retaliate against him for his union leadership. Dave appealed his termination in January 2025, seeking re-employment with SPD.
