Father lunges at two men accused of killing daughter during court hearing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV/Gray News) – Inside a Tennessee courtroom Tuesday morning, cameras caught the moment when a father lunged at two men accused of killing his 26-year-old daughter.

Caitlyn Kaufman was a nurse who was shot and killed on an interstate highway on her way to work two years before.

Before Tuesday’s motion hearing, WSMV reported Rick Kaufman, Caitlyn’s father, moved through the partition toward Davaunte Hill and James Cowan, the two men accused of killing his daughter on Dec. 3, 2020.

He was taken out of the courtroom by two bailiffs and sat outside the courtroom for the remainder of the hearing. Diane Kaufman, Caitlyn’s mother, stayed inside and teared up throughout the morning.

Several witnesses were brought to the stand, including Sgt. Chris Dickerson, who detailed what law enforcement saw when they got to the scene of the shooting.

“There was a parks officer, I believe he was on his way home. He drove by, and he thought that it was a wreck. He thought a vehicle had rammed through the guardrail,” Dickerson said. “So, at first, he went by, and he was able to flip around, and he went up on the vehicle and he realized it had several bullet holes in the vehicle, and then he realized there was an individual slumped over the steering wheel. So, he positioned his vehicle in front of her, and I believe he called additional units.”

Dickerson also testified the car was still running, and Kaufman’s foot was on the brake.

Police also said how they found out who killed Kaufman. They said one man traded guns with Hill, came forward to police for reward money, and Hill was arrested. That man was also a confidential informant for the Nashville Metro Police Department, a position he no longer holds.

The Kaufman family is from Pennsylvania, but Caitlyn Kaufman moved to Nashville after becoming a nurse.

Hill and Cowan are facing life in prison.

Copyright 2022 WSMV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.