King County prosecutors must weigh whether to file charges against Seattle Police Officer Kevin Dave, who struck and killed 23-year-old Jaahnavi Kandula while she crossed a crosswalk in January. First reported by Publicola, King County Prosecuting Attorney Spokesperson Casey McNerthney confirmed Thursday the office’s felony traffic unit needed to review the case and make a charging decision, which he expects to come sometime in July.
McNerthney did not know which crimes SPD investigated in Dave’s case. He was also looking into whether the case was a statutory referral. A statutory referral happens when SPD sends a case to prosecutors for review out of a legal obligation, rather than because the department thinks they can prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Dave hit Kandula, a college student at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus, with his patrol SUV on Jan 23 as he responded to a call about a potential overdose. A Seattle Fire Department spokesperson later told the Seattle Times the call involved a 28-year-old man, who declined transport to a hospital after firefighters evaluated him. In a blotter post, SPD said police officers arrived after Dave struck Kandula and performed CPR on her. SFD arrived and took over, transporting her to Harborview Medical Center, where she later died.
SPD Chief of Police Adrian Diaz confirmed Dave’s identity in a video statement release, but only after DivestSPD sussed out Dave as the officer who hit Kandula. In the statement, Diaz said SPD’s Traffic Collision Investigation Squad needed to investigate the case. He promised the squad would send its investigation report to the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office (PAO) for a charging decision.Â
Dave joined SPD in 2019 and received a hiring bonus. When he hit Kandula he had on his patrol SUV’s emergency lights and siren. A drug recognition expert evaluated Dave and found no evidence that he was under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. An SPD roster in April showed Dave remains employed as an officer in the West Precinct.
