SEATTLE — Community members are rallying to demand justice for Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student who was struck and killed by a Seattle officer in January. This week, comments about her death made by another Seattle detective became public, which Kandula's family calls "truly disturbing."
Dozens of community members gathered Thursday evening near Dexter and Thomas where 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula calling for justice and accountability.
In January, a body camera captures the voice of Detective Daniel Auderer one day after Kandula was struck and killed by another officer's squad car as he was responding to an emergency, traveling 74 miles per hour - nearly three times the speed limit.
"I think she went up on the hood, hit the windshield, and then when he hit the brakes flew off of the car. But she is dead,” Audrerer said in the recording.
Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, reportedly on a phone call with Union President Mike Solan, appears to talk about what might happen if the victim's family sued the department.
"Yeah, just write a check. $11,000. She was 26 anyway. She had limited value,” Auderer said during the call.
In response Gov. Jay Inslee said on Thursday, “it's hard to think of more hurtful things to say to magnify the scope of an already terrible tragedy than what is said in that video."
"I was heartbroken. I was disgusted,” said Joel Merkel, a co-chair with the Seattle Community Police Commission. "What the community wants. What the police commission wants is a culture change SPD. "The most important thing is that the investigation is done fair and impartially."
Deepali Jamwal owns a dance studio a block from where the fatal collision happened.
“After he said she is dead, and he laughed it is haunting me,” said Jamwal. "I just want everyone to come together and fight for justice for Jaahnavi. She was one of us and this feels to close to home."
Jamwal said she is planning on holding a rally and march in honor of Kandula at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, in South Lake Union.
The police union has not responded to request for comment. The City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department declined interviews because of the ongoing Office of Police Accountability investigation into the matter.
Community groups that gathered at the rally on Sept. 14 included Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Oppression, which wants the Seattle Police Officers Guild President and Vice President to step down.
“We didn't know about this until eight months later. They haven't been fired. They're still the Vice President and President of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. It's disgusting, it's not OK,” said Ray Mitchell, with SAARPR.
KING 5 obtained additional body camera footage which shows Officer Auderer performing an impairment test on the officer that hit and killed Kandula after the crash, and before making insensitive comments.
The officer that hit and killed Kandula has not been criminally charged.
“The people that are in charge of enforcing the rules are not made accountable when they break them. The system is failing,” Mitchell said.