Kevin Dave, Officer Who Struck and Killed 23-Year-Old Student, is Challenging His Traffic Ticket

Dave received a civil infraction and a $5,000 fine for fatally striking Jaahnavi Kandula in a crosswalk while driving 74 miles an hour.

Seattle police officer Kevin Dave shortly after he struck and killed a 23-year-old student in a crosswalk.(SPD body camera footage)

By Andrew Engelson

Seattle police officer Kevin Dave, who struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula in January 2023 while driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone, is challenging the traffic ticket issued to him in March for the fatal collision, according to Seattle Municipal Court records.

After the King County prosecutor declined in February to file criminal charges against Dave, the city attorney’s office issued Dave a citation for a second-degree negligent driving and a $5,000 fine. In May, the city attorney’s office reported that Dave, who is still employed by the Seattle Police Department, had failed to pay the $5,000 fine. 

According to the court docket, Dave is scheduled for a contested hearing in Seattle Municipal Court on September 24, with magistrate Noah Weil presiding. Dave and his attorneys apparently filed to contest the citation in May. 

Court spokesman Gary Ireland said that Dave (or his attorney) can choose to appear at his hearing either virtually or in-person in September. According to court documents, Dave is represented by Mark Conrad of Frey Buck, the firm that also represents former police chief Adrian Diaz. Frey Buck did not respond to PubliCola’s request for comment. 

In late July, SPD officer Daniel Auderer, who was fired by interim police chief Sue Rahr for joking and laughing about Kandula’s death, filed a $20 million tort claim against the city for “Personal reputation harm, wrongful termination, mental pain and suffering” because of the firing.

Auderer, who was vice president of Seattle Police Officers Guild, was caught on his body cam joking with SPOG president Mike Solan that Kandula’s life had “limited value." In his tort claim, Auderer argued that “Seattle PD leaked false information concerning wrongfully initiated disciplinary proceedings as well as my personal information, including my home addresses. SPD then wrongfully terminated me. This was retaliatory at least due to my union leadership.”

Meanwhile, the Office of Police Accountability’s investigation into Dave and the fatal collision has been put on hold until the negligent driving civil case is resolved. The SPOG contract requires OPA to complete investigations within 180 days, although that clock is currently on pause pending the outcome of Dave's challenge to his traffic citation.

Dave was hired by SPD in 2019. The department was aware that he’d been fired by the Tucson Police Department, where he had a troubled history.

In addition, court records indicate that when Seattle Police wrote the citation for negligent driving this past March, Dave still didn’t have a valid Washington driver’s license. PubliCola previously reported that for unknown reasons, Dave surrendered his license on November 18, 2021 because he “transferred out of state” and took an Arizona driver’s license, even though he worked for SPD at the time.

According to Department of Licensing spokeswoman Christine Anthony, Dave did not have a valid Washington license on the date of the collision, January 23, 2023, and did not reinstate his Washington license until April 9, 2024, after the negligent driving citation was issued.