The City of Seattle, Washington reached a $29 million settlement (approx ₹262 crore) with his family Janhvi Kandulaa 23-year-old student in India who was run over and killed by a speeding police officer while crossing a street. United States of America In 2023.
Janhvi Kandula was killed by a speeding car driven by a policeman on January 23 (GoFundMe).In a statement Wednesday, city attorney Erica Evans said, “Jhanvi Kandula’s death was heartbreaking, and the city hopes this financial settlement will bring some sense of closure to the Kandula family.”
He added, “Jhanvi Kandula’s life matters. It matters to her family, her friends and our community.”
What happened to Janhvi Kandula?Kandula hails from Andhra Pradesh and was studying for a master’s degree at the Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union. He traveled to the US from Bangalore under a student exchange program in 2021 and was expected to graduate this December.
He was hit by officer Kevin Dave, who was driving at speeds of up to 119 km/h (74 mph) while the limit was 40 km/h (25 mph). He was responding to a drug overdose call at the time.
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His death led to widespread outrage and protests in 2023. Outrage escalated after another officer’s body camera footage surfaced, in which the officer laughed and said Kandula’s life had “limited value” and the city “just needs to write a check.”
Also Read | Who is Kevin Dave? About the Seattle police who escaped prosecution after Janhvi Kandula’s deathAnger over Janhvi Kandula’s deathIndian diplomats have called for an investigation into the incident. The city’s civilian watchdog later said comments by officer Daniel Auder, who was also a union leader, damaged the department’s reputation and undermined public trust.
Auderer was fired and later filed a lawsuit against the city claiming wrongful termination. He said his comments were intended to criticize how lawyers may have responded to the case.
The police department also fired the officer who was driving the vehicle. He was cited for negligent driving and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. King County prosecutors chose not to file criminal charges, saying they could not prove he knowingly disregarded safety when he hit Kandula.
About $20 million of the settlement is expected to be paid through city insurance.
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