‘Dedicated’ Nashville nurse, 26, on frontline of Covid crisis shot dead as she drove to ICU with killer at large

AN ICU nurse working on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic was shot and killed in a highway shooting on her way to work – and her killer hasn’t been caught yet.

Caitlyn Kaufman, 26, was shot while driving down Interstate 440 in Nashville, in Tennessee, on Thursday night when she was fatally shot in her car, police said.

Reports indicate that she is the the third nurse from her hospital to die in four years. No one has been arrested in connection with the crime.

Cops found Kaufman’s body just before 9pm but a preliminary investigation led police to believe she was shot between 6pm and 6:30pm.

Metro Nashville Police Department said Kaufman was on her way to work for a 7pm shift at St Thomas West Hospital when someone fired at her gray Mazda SUV.

Law enforcement have now asked the public for information and if they noticed anything unusual while driving down the highway on the night she was killed.

Kaufman was from Chicora, Pennsylvania, a small town 50 miles north of Pittsburgh, with a population of just over 1,000.

She was a star diver on her high school and college swim teams before she began working as an ICU nurse at St Thomas West in December 2018.

News of her death spread across the medical community as nurses and doctors try to grasp her senseless murder in the middle of a pandemic.

“The sudden death of such a young nurse is always devastating, but even more so due to senseless violence,” the Tennessee Nurses Association said.

“These are very emotionally trying times for health care workers. Our deepest condolences go out to Caitlyn’s family, friends, and colleagues at St. Thomas West.”

The hospital equally sent out a statement, expressing their condolences for Kaufman and her friends and family.

“We are devastated to learn of the tragic and sudden passing of our ICU nurse Caitlyn Kaufman,” the statement began.

“She was a dedicated and much-loved member of our MICU team and a courageous healthcare hero who was graciously called to serve our patients with compassion and kindness.

“Our hearts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and you, her colleagues, as we all grieve her heartbreaking passing.”

“Ascension Saint Thomas has Chaplains and other support resources available at sites of care for grief counseling.”

According to WSMV, Kaufman is the third nurse from St Thomas West Hospital to have lost her life in four years.

Police found Ashley Brown’s body, also 26, strangled and beaten to death in a trash can near Nashville’s Centennial Park in December 2016 and her killer hasn’t been found either.

In February 2017, ICU nurse Tiffany Ferguson, 23, was stabbed to death in her condo by an intruder, who was caught and serving a life sentence in jail.