An arrest has been made in connection to the death of Nashville nurse Caitlyn Kaufman. Metro Nashville Police arrested 21-year-old Devaunte L. Hill on Friday morning at his East Nashville apartment. He was charged with criminal homicide after detectives said he made statements that implicated himself in the case.
Police Chief John Drake announced that SWAT members took Hill into custody without incident at 6:15 a.m. December 11. According to police, Kaufman and Hill did not know each other.
The 26-year-old nurse was on her way to begin a shift at St. Thomas West Hospital's Intensive Care Unit around 6 p.m. on December 3 when someone fired multiple shots into her SUV. She was fatally shot in the left shoulder and died within 15 seconds, according to a medical examiner. An officer discovered her vehicle along Interstate 440 Westbound shortly before 9 p.m.
After a week of searching for suspects, police had a break in the case when a concerned citizen identified Hill as a suspect on Thursday afternoon. The citizen also gave information about a 9mm firearm that ballistic experts later matched "100%" to three shell casings found at the scene. Cell phone records also indicated Hill was near the location of where Kaufman was killed that night.
Over the past week, anonymous donors and business owners around the community rallied together to offer a $65,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Kaufman's death.
"I understand many of those persons involved in the rewards are dads who have families in Nashville and love Nashville deeply," said Chief Drake. "And I thank them for their contribution."
Though one arrest has been made, police aren't ruling out the possibility of more as the investigation continues.
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