Grad Scholar, 23, Dies After Being Struck by Seattle Police Automobile Responding to ‘Precedence’ Name
GoFundMe Jaahnavi Kandula
Family and friends are mourning the lack of a 23-year-old Northeastern College graduate pupil who died after being struck by a police automobile whereas crossing a road in Seattle final week.
Jaahnavi Kandula was in a crosswalk within the metropolis’s South Lake Union neighborhood on Jan. 23 when she was hit by the marked SUV, which was en path to a “precedence one name,” in keeping with the Seattle Police Department.
Authorities arrived on the scene simply after 8 p.m. and carried out CPR on Kandula earlier than she was transported to the hospital in vital situation, per the assertion.
In an replace, the division confirmed that she had died.
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“We need to acknowledge the various questions we’re receiving concerning the collision Monday evening between an SPD officer and a pedestrian,” the Seattle Police Division said in a statement on Thursday. “As is the case with any severe motorized vehicle collision, this incident is below investigation by SPD’s Site visitors Collision Investigation Squad, in line with SPD coverage.”
Though the officer who was driving the automobile has not been recognized, police stated he has been with the division since November 2019.
“We lengthen our deepest condolences to Ms. Kandula’s household and pals,” police wrote within the assertion. “This incident is a horrible tragedy for everybody concerned.”
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Kandula was studying information systems on the faculty’s satellite tv for pc campus, in keeping with The Boston Globe.
The daughter of a single mom, Kandula was acquiring a level to assist enhance her household’s life again in India, the place her mom works as an elementary faculty instructor and earns lower than $200 a month, her household stated in a press release, reported NBC affiliate KING-TV.
“We’re actually heartbroken. Jaahnavi was an excellent pupil with a shiny future,” they wrote within the assertion revealed by the outlet. “Jaahnavi’s smile was radiant, and her bubbly persona warmed the hearts of each particular person she got here involved with.”
A GoFundMe account has raised greater than $150,000 for the household as of Monday.
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“Jaahnavi’s sudden demise has left a void which may’t get replaced however we might at the least assist the grieving household by contributing something doable to assist their household throughout these exhausting occasions,” the organizers wrote.
“Jaahnavi cared deeply for her mother. A lot so, that regardless of extreme homesickness, she got here to the States to pursue her desires and to create a greater future for her mother & sister,” the message continued. “Whereas Jaahnavi might not be right here with us anymore, her dream will dwell on. Your beneficiant donation will assist notice that dream.”
SPD’s Site visitors Collision Investigation Squad is at the moment investigating the collision and circumstances of the incident, and police say extra updates can be shared as extra info turns into out there.