The US cop who joked and laughed in a bodycam video about an Indian student's death by a police patrol car this year, has defended his remarks in a statement released by the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild. Jaahnavi Kandula, a student of Northeastern University campus in South Lake Union, was hit by a Seattle Police vehicle driven by officer Kevin Dave at a pedestrian crossing on the night of January 23.

Daniel Auderer, who was assigned to see whether Dave was under any influence, left his body camera on by mistake, in which he was heard laughing and saying that Kandula’s life had “limited value” and the city should “just write a check”. The Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPG), releasing a statement on Friday said that “without context”, this audio is horrifying and has no place in a civil society.