Father of Murdered Nurse Tries to Charge at Suspects in Courtroom

The father of a murdered nurse appeared to try to lunge at the two men charged with killing her in a Tennessee courtroom.

Court officials in Nashville escorted away Rick Kaufman on Tuesday after he quickly moved toward Devaunte Lewis Hill and James Edward Cowan.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2020, 12 women were fatally shot in Nashville, and 13 women have been killed by gunfire in the city so far in 2022.

In a clip shared by Fox Nashville on Tuesday, Kaufman could be seen being physically restrained and dragged outside of the courtroom by at least three people.

Hill and Cowan, both from Nashville, were charged with killing Caitlyn Marie Kaufman, 26, in December 2020, WSMV-TV reported.

Both men were charged with criminal homicide, and Hill was charged with assault with bodily injury, according to WKRN-TV. The men appeared in court for a motion hearing.

Kaufman had been driving on Interstate 440 to work at the intensive-care unit at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital West in Nashville when gunshots struck her gray Mazda CX-5 SUV, killing her.

A medical examiner found Kaufman was fatally hit in the shoulder by a single bullet and that she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kaufman was originally from Pennsylvania, studying nursing at Butler County Community College in Oak Hills, but moved to Nashville after she became a nurse.

In a May 2020 Facebook post, Kaufman shared a temporary profile picture of herself with a banner for Nurses' Week, with a caption that read: "Proud to be a nurse."

Kaufman was described by her family as a loving and caring person who "was an extremely selfless person."

The Tennessean reported a 2020 fundraiser page that read: "Caitlyn was an extremely selfless person, always willing to lend a helping hand no matter the personal cost.

"She received two prestigious Daisy Awards for Extraordinary Nurses in her first year, acknowledging both her commitment, talent, and compassion as a nurse.

"Caitlyn embodied what it means to be a nurse in both her professional and personal life going so far to leap from a moving car to help victims of a car crash as she returned from a vacation from Gatlinburg, with a group of friends."

It continued: "She spent her days off blaring country music while boating, water skiing, wakeboarding, and 'buggy' riding with her friends.

"Caitlyn was loved by many and will be sorely missed by all. She had a smile that would light up a room and a laugh that was contagious."

Money from the fundraiser went towards Caitlyn's funeral expenses, as well as additional costs resulting from her death, the outlet reported.

Newsweek has contacted the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Nashville Criminal Court clerk for comment.