Student struck and killed by police car

Earlier this week, a speeding Seattle police car was responding to a “high-priority” call near the college where the student studied struck and killed a college graduate student.
Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, was crossing the street near Dexter Avenue North and Thomas Street at approximately 8 p.m. on Monday when she was struck by a squad car, according to KIRO-TV.
Kandula, who was pursuing a master’s degree at Northeastern University’s Seattle campus, was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The police officer at the wheel, who has not been identified, remains on the job.
The family of the young woman has released a statement to KJR-FM radio expressing their grief and being “heartbroken.”
“Jaahnavi’s tragic and untimely death has left her family and community with a huge hole in their hearts that will never be repaired,” according to the statement. “She was a daughter to a single mother who teaches elementary school in India.”
“In spite of earning less than [$200] per month, her mother educated Jaahnavi and encouraged her to [travel to] the United States hoping Jaahnavi would have a better future and a better life abroad,” the document stated. “Her mother’s hopes and dreams are cut short now.”
After the incident, the Seattle Police Department issued a statement expressing its “deepest condolences” to Kandula’s family and describing the incident as “a terrible tragedy for everyone involved.”
However, pending an investigation, the department did not disclose details regarding the fatal accident.
The Dean of Northeastern University, David Thurman, described Kandula as a “stellar student and a delightful and effervescent human being”.
According to reports, the cop was speeding with firefighters to the 700 block of 6th Avenue North when he fatally struck Kandula.
“I feel bad for the officer,” an eyewitness told the station. “I can’t imagine how he feels. And I saw the emotion from him, and he seemed pretty bent out of shape about it.”
Kandula is from Andhra Pradesh in India, according to a gofundme.com page created to assist her grieving mother.
As of Sunday afternoon, the page had raised nearly $154,000.
Northeastern University, based in Boston, has campuses around the world and in the United States, including a campus in Seattle, Washington.