Body camera video shows death of pedestrian hit by Seattle Police officer
By: Body camera video captured the sudden death of a woman hit and killed by a Seattle police car as she was crossing the street. The investigation continues in the death of Jaahnavi Kandula, the Northeast University student who was killed on January 23, 2023.
King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office released the video from FOX 13’s public records request. FOX 13 is not showing most of the body camera video out of respect for Kandula’s family and due to the disturbing content.
Kevin Dave was the Seattle officer behind the wheel. Video recorded from his body camera showed Dave traveling in his patrol car, responding to a Priority One call. Chirping police sirens from his patrol car were heard, but the sirens were not continuous.
A loud roar from the engine was heard in the video as Dave’s speedometer showed an acceleration of up to 74 miles per hour. Within moments of reaching the top speed, Kandula was hit while at the intersection of Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street.
The video showed Dave calling dispatch for help for a pedestrian struck. He soon began performing CPR on Kandula until several other first responders arrived at the scene.
Officials said Dave was initially on his way to an overdose that day. It was a Priority One call, which the department classified as the highest priority of calls. The call came in as an overdose.
Video showed him passing red lights at high speeds, slowing down slightly. Suddenly, Kandula was hit.
Dave was heard on the video telling a responding officer, "Lights were on. I was chirping the sirens…she was in the crosswalk. She saw me, she started running through the crosswalk. Slammed on my breaks. Started staying back where she should before crossing."
The Office of Police Accountability continues investigating whether Dave complied with department policy.
In the video, Dave was sitting in the passenger seat of another patrol car. He was heard saying, "I can have a hundred minutes. I could have…there’s nothing for me to do right now, but sit. And that is the f**king worst thing that…you just have to sit here. So many questions that are unanswered, so many questions."
The speed limit is 25 miles per hour on Dexter Avenue North, and 20 on Thomas Street.