Jaahnvi Kandula, 23, died in Seattle, on 23 January, after a speeding police vehicle hit her while she crossing the road.
Jaahnvi Kandula. (X)
“My granddaughter was the lifeline of our family. Irrespective of how busy she was, she would call me and my wife every day at 5 am. That was how our day started,” Suribabu, maternal grandfather of Jaahnvi Kandula, told South First.
It has been three days since a video, showing the point of view of Seattle Police Department (SPD) officer Daniel Auderer, was released, and the clip is haunting her kin.
The SPD officer was heard bursting into laughter over her death in a car accident. He was also heard saying that Jaahnvi had “limited value” and that a cheque of $11,000 would be adequate compensation for her death.
The 23-year-old died in Seattle on 23 January, having been run over by a speeding police patrol cruiser while she was crossing the road.
She was immediately administered CPR, but succumbed to her injuries after reaching the hospital. The speeding police cruiser was driven by the SPD officer Kevin Austin Dave.
Coming from a middle-class family that resides in the Adoni city of the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, Jaahnvi dreamt of completing postgraduation from the US and supporting her family.
For her family, the news of her demise came as a shock in January. However, the recent footage of the Seattle cop humiliating Jaahnvi reopened old wounds.
Jaanhvi Kandula left for the US on 5 September, 2020, to pursue a postgraduate degree in Information Systems at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus.
Condolences pouring in forJaahnvi Kandula. (X)
“Along with pursuing her master’s, she also had a part-time job on campus as she was good at studies. The university campus offered her a three-hour part-time job for $16 an hour and she was very excited about it,” Jaahnvi’s maternal grandfather Suribabu told South First.
He added: “Her coworkers, friends, and everyone in general used to praise her work. She was very organised.”
“She was so full of life. If anyone had any work, they would first tell Jaahnvi. And that work would be considered done,” a sombre Suribabu recounted.
He said most of Jaahnvi’s childhood was spent with him and her grandmother. “They lived in Adoni, and we used to live in a nearby village. We would frequently visit them, and every time it was time for us to go back, she would persuade us to let her accompany us. She was very close to us.”
Jaahnvi would speak to her family every day without fail. “She would speak to her mother and sister daily as well. Though not physically present, she was their moral support,” said Suribabu.
Suribabu noted that going to the US had always been one of Jaahnvi’s dreams. “She wanted to create a comfortable life for her family. She was the support system of her mother and sister. They had all their hopes pinned on her.”
He added that despite being homesick, Jaahnvi wanted to complete her studies and get a good job. “Her course would have been done in a few months. We were all waiting for her to come home, but didn’t expect this to happen.”
Jaahnvi’s mother Kandula Vijayalakshmi used to work as a teacher in a private school, but quit after Jaahnvi’s death. Her father K Srikanth retired from the police department
“She (Vijayalakshmi) took out a loan so Jaahnvi could pursue her dream. Her sister Meghana completed her graduation very recently,” said Suribabu.
For Meghana, Jaahnvi was a role model. “She would look up to her for the way she shaped her career.”
Jaahnvi’s mother and sister, who have managed to pick up the pieces in the last few months, are once again shattered after seeing the body-cam footage.
Jaahnvi’s grandfather Suribabu, who is now with Jaahnvi’s mother and sister, said, “They are in no condition to speak. Both of them haven’t eaten anything since watching the video.”
He added: “It’s been eight months since the incident. We were just starting to heal, and now this has thrown us off our feet. To see our loss being laughed at is very painful.”
Jaahnavi Kandula, 23 from Andhra Pradesh, India studying masters in Seattle, USA.
In January, she was killed by a police cruiser going 50 MPH through an intersection. Hours later, the VP of the police union was laughing about her death on a phone call. @USAmbIndia… pic.twitter.com/AUmT5d5gHM
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) September 13, 2023
Asked if any officials contacted them, Suribabu said representatives of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) spoke to them and assured them justice would be served.
“We don’t know anything about what is going on there. One of our relatives stays there. He is looking after the issues there. We have been told the officers involved will be suspended. Whatever they do, we won’t get our child back,” he said.
Suribabu finally noted that the surfacing of Auderer’s video was like reliving the loss all over again, “There have been people visiting us since yesterday,” he said on Thursday, 14 September.
Following Jaahnvi’s death, her friends raised funds for her family to repay the education loan her mother took, and also to help the family bring home Jaahnvi’s mortal remains. The campaign raised about ₹1 crore in less than a week.
The Seattle police’s accountability office said it was investigating the matter after releasing the video. It said the video was identified by a department employee who was “concerned about the nature of statements heard on that video” and brought it to the chief’s office.
The matter was referred to the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) to determine “any policy violation that might be implicated”, said the SPD in a statement.
The SPD released the video “in the interest of transparency” due to public concern.
The department also noted, “While any incident of public concern is under OPA, SPD, or OIG review, no city employee should comment, either in their official or personal capacity, in a way that suggests that any factual, policy, or legal conclusions have been reached about the incident.”
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which covers the Seattle area, is also conducting a criminal review of the incident.
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