Indian Student Jaahnavi Kandula Dies After Being Struck By Seattle Police Car

SEATTLE, WA (IANS) – A 23-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh died after being struck by a police patrol vehicle here.

Jaahnavi Kandula, a student at Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union, was walking near Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street when she was hit by a Seattle Police vehicle on January 23.

Police arrived at the scene just after 8 p.m. and immediately started CPR after they found Kandula with life-threatening injuries. She was later transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition where she succumbed to her injuries.

The officer driving the patrol SUV was responding to a priority one call at the request of the Seattle Fire Department just after 8 p.m., according to the Seattle Police Department. The police did not name the officer but said in a statement that he has been with the department since November 2019.

“At this point in the investigation, we have no reason to believe the officer intended to hit that woman,” Seattle Police Department Spokesperson Detective Valerie Carson told Seattle Times.

Carson further said that Kandula’s death will not be investigated as a use of force case, and the officer has not been placed on leave.

“I was in shock,” Ashok Mandula, victim’s uncle, said after he was informed of the tragedy. He said Kandula first came to the US in 2021 from Adoni in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district.

Daughter of a single mother who teaches in an elementary school in Adoni, Kandula was to receive a master’s in information systems this December.

Kandula’s mother had taken a loan for her education.

Detectives from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad will lead the investigation, Seattle Police said.