The Nashville nurse killed on I-440 west Thursday night is identified as Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, who was traveling to work at St. Thomas West Hospital when shots were fired into her Mazda CX-5 SUV.
The vehicle came to rest on the right shoulder of the road against the guard rail between the Hillsboro Pike and West End Avenue exits. A Metro Parks officer stopped to check on it at 8:52 p.m., discovered that Kaufman had been shot, and called for assistance from Midtown Hills Precinct officers. Kaufman died at the scene.
Kaufman’s shift at the hospital was to have begun at 7 p.m. Thursday. Detectives presently believe she was running on time, and think the gunfire likely occurred between 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Anyone traveling on I-440 Thursday evening who may have seen something out of the ordinary is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.