Nashville ICU nurse and 'health care hero' shot and killed on way to work

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A “courageous health care hero” was shot and killed on her way to her job as a nurse at a Tennessee hospital's intensive care unit.

Nashville police said Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, was struck by bullets fired into her SUV as she drove on Interstate 440 around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.

“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,” police said Friday. “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.”

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Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, worked as an ICU nurse at a Nashville hospital. Photo shows her SUV after she was shot Thursday evening on I-440. (Clarion University/Metro Nashville Police Department)

She died at the scene, police said.

They released a photo of her Mazda CX-5 SUV taken at the scene.

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Kaufman, of Lebanon, Tenn., was driving to St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. She was due to start her shift at 7 p.m.

“We are devastated to learn of the tragic and sudden passing of our ICU nurse Caitlyn Kaufman,” a hospital representative told WKRN-TV.

“She was a dedicated and much loved member of our ... team and a courageous health care hero who was graciously called to serve our patients with compassion and kindness,” the spokesperson said.

Kaufman was a standout on her high school swim team and went on to graduate from Clarion University in Pennsylvania, WKRN reported.

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Police haven’t determined a motive for the shooting or made any arrests.