Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
‘Senseless Tragedy’: Nashville Nurse Gunned Down Driving To Work In Deadly Highway Shooting
“Caitlyn worked diligently as an ICU nurse for two years and served tirelessly during the COVID crisis,” a fundraiser for 26-year-old Caitlyn Kaufman stated.
A young Tennessee intensive care unit nurse was fatally shot while at the wheel of her vehicle while driving to work last week, Nashville police said.
Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, was found shot to death in her vehicle on Thursday evening, the Nashville Police Department said in a press release. Authorities found Kaufman unresponsive in her Mazda CX-5 on the right shoulder of a city freeway shortly before 9 p.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
“A Nashville nurse has been killed by shots fired into her gray Mazda SUV as she traveled on I-440,” police said in a statement published to social media.
Several hours may have gone by before Kaufman’s body was discovered. Detectives suspect Kaufman was shot sometime between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. while driving on the interstate. Her hospital shift was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m, investigators said.
No suspects or a possible motive have been announced in her killing and the case remains open and ongoing, officials said.
“Horrible,” Capt. Tyler Chandler wrote on Twitter. “My prayers go out to her family and all her loved ones. If you have any information, no matter how insignificant you think it may be, please let [law enforcement] know. Sometimes the smallest bit of information helps solve a case.’
Kaufman had worked as an intensive care nurse at St. Thomas West Hospital in southwest Nashville since December 2018, according to her Facebook page. Her profile states that she’s originally from Pennsylvania.
“Caitlyn worked diligently as an ICU nurse for two years and served tirelessly during the COVID crisis,” a GoFundMe page created for the woman’s family says. “Caitlyn embodied what it means to be a nurse in both her professional and personal life.”
The page called the shooting a “senseless tragedy” and described Kaufman as a “selfless” nurse with a smile that would “light up a room.” She loved country music, wakeboarding, and her dog Zeus, the page says.
“Caitlyn was loved by many and will be sorely missed by all,” the family said.
The fundraiser, aimed to help cover the financial burden associated with funeral costs, has raised more than $14,000 for Kaufman’s family.
