Seattle settles for $29M with family of student killed by speeding police officer

On Tuesday, a judge will decide whether or not to approve a $29 million settlement between the city of Seattle and the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India who, in January 2023, was struck and killed by a police SUV speeding at 74 mph in a 25 mph zone.The parties filed a notice of settlement in King County Superior Court on Feb. 6, as first reported by PubliCola.
Officer Kevin Dave struck Kandula in a crosswalk while responding to a call. Dashcam footage showed Dave was driving significantly over the speed limit and was not continuously using his siren.
The incident gained further notoriety when video footage came out showing Seattle Police Officers Guild Vice President Daniel Auderer on a phone call confirming Kandula’s death.
After Auderer is heard confirming her death, he laughs in response.
“It’s a regular person – just write a check – $11,000; she was 26 anyways, she had limited value,” Auderer said, getting Kandula’s age wrong.
In July 2024, he was fired over his remarks by Interim Police Chief Sue Rahr.
She fired Dave in January 2025 after the Office of Police Accountability issued a report finding he failed to operate his vehicle “with due regard for the safety of all persons.” The report also noted that Dave did not have a valid Washington driver’s license when he struck Kandula with his vehicle.
Dave was cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. King County prosecutors declined to file felony charges against Dave, saying they could not prove he was deliberately disregarding safety when his vehicle hit the young woman.
“Jaahnavi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement brings some sense of closure to the Kandula family,” City Attorney Erika Evans said in a statement on Wednesday. “Jaahnavi Kandula’s life mattered. It mattered to her family, her friends and to our community.”
The settlement with Kandula’s family comes shortly after a King County jury found Seattle negligent in its handling of the 2020 Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, or CHOP, zone, awarding nearly $31 million to the family of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was fatally shot during the protests that occurred in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer.

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