SPD officer fighting traffic infraction after hitting, killing pedestrian in 2023

A Seattle police officer who received a traffic infraction after hitting and killing a pedestrian last year is now contesting the ticket.

Officer Kevin Dave hit and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula in a crosswalk in January of 2023. The King County Prosecutor’s Office said he was driving 74 MPH “without continuously running his siren” while responding to a call in an area where speeds are capped at 25 MPH.

He was not criminally charged. King County Prosecutors said they lacked enough evidence to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Dave was issued a traffic infraction from the Seattle City Attorney’s Office for negligent driving, where he was ordered to pay $5,000. He’s now contesting the infraction in court.

“It’s outrageous that so far the only form of consequence he has faced, he can’t even own up to it,” said Rafael McPeek, Treasurer for the Seattle Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (SAARPR), an organization that has led the fight for more accountability in the case.

KIRO 7 reached out to Dave’s listed attorney, as well as the Seattle Police Union, but has yet to receive a response.

SAARPR plans to protest the effort at City Hall Park on Monday.

“It just feels like another roadblock,” McPeek said.

Dave’s hearing to contest the infraction is set for late September.

Dave remains employed by Seattle Police Department in a non-patrol role.

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