NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The fatal shooting of a Tennessee nurse along Interstate 440 may have been prompted by road rage, according to testimony at a court hearing.
It was the first time a possible motive has been offered in the killing of Caitlyn Kaufman, 26, who was shot on Dec. 3 as she drove to work at St. Thomas West Hospital in Nashville. Two men - Devaunte Lewis Hill, 21, and James Edward Cowan, 28 - have been charged with criminal homicide in her death.
A detective and a witness, who wasn’t identified, testified during their probable cause hearing on Thursday that Hill said the woman had cut them off while driving along the interstate, news outlets reported. That prompted the gunfire, according to testimony from Detective Chris Dickerson and the witness, whose identity is being protected by the court due to threats of physical danger.
The witness testified that Hill approached him a few days after the shooting, looking to get rid of a gun. He said he took the gun, and that Hill later told him he and Cowan had been involved in the shooting. The witness ultimately gave the gun to police, who determined that it matched the ballistics of the weapon used to kill Kaufman.
The witness didn’t remember specific dates and times. Defense attorneys argued against the person’s credibility and said he was after reward money.
After the testimony, Davidson County General Sessions Judge Melissa Blackburn found probable cause to send their cases to a grand jury.
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