Jaahnavi Kandula (1997-2023) was an Indian student, who was studying in Seattle, United States. In 2023, she died after being hit by a patrol car driven by police officer Kevin Dave in Seattle.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Jaahnavi Kandula was born in 2000 (age 23 years; at the time of death) in Andhra Pradesh, India. She was raised single-handedly by her mother in Adoni, Andhra Pradesh. In 2021, she went from Bengaluru to the United States for a student exchange program. She was pursuing a master’s degree in information systems at Northeastern University in South Lake Union in Seattle and was expected to complete her graduation in December 2023. [1]NDTV World
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Her mother is an elementary school teacher.
Husband
She was unmarried.
Death
On 23 January 2023, she was killed by a patrol car driven by police officer Kevin Dave in Seattle. Reportedly, Dave was driving the car at 74 mph (119 kmph). He was attending an emergency call when his car hit Jaahnavi at the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street. She was thrown over 100 feet away after the car hit her. Jaahnavi was rushed to the Harborview Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries. [2]The New Indian Express The night she died, her uncle Ashok Mandula flew to Seattle to make the arrangements for taking her body back to India. [3]India Today However, the police officer did not face any criminal charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence. [4]Hindustan Times
Facts/Trivia
- On 12 September 2023, the Seattle Police Department released a clip on the internet which was recorded by the body camera of police officer Daniel Auderer, a drug recognition expert, who was given the task of checking if Dave was under the influence of any substances on 23 January 2023. In the recording, Daniel’s conversation with guild President Mike Solan could be heard. [5]The New Indian Express Before bursting out into laughter and calling Jaahnvi a regular person, Daniel said,
She is Dead.”
Further, he could be heard saying,
Yeah, just write a check. Eleven thousand dollars.’’
Concluding the call Daniel said,
She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.”
- After the video went viral on social media, India firmly brought up the issue with the US authorities and demanded a thorough investigation and punishment for those responsible for the incident. [6]NDTV World On 13 September 2023, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco expressed deep concern about the incident in a post on X, which read,
Recent reports including in media of the handling of Ms Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in a road accident in Seattle in January are deeply troubling. We have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC for a thorough investigation & action against those involved in this tragic case. The Consulate & Embassy will continue to closely follow up on this matter with all concerned authorities.”
Recent reports including in media of the handling of Ms Jaahnavi Kandula’s death in a road accident in Seattle in January are deeply troubling. We have taken up the matter strongly with local authorities in Seattle & Washington State as well as senior officials in Washington DC
— India in SF (@CGISFO) September 13, 2023
References
| ↑1 | NDTV World |
|---|---|
| ↑2, ↑5 | The New Indian Express |
| ↑3 | India Today |
| ↑4 | Hindustan Times |
| ↑6 | NDTV World |
