Family of Belmont student files lawsuit against school, city of Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The parents of a Belmont University student who was shot and killed while walking in a park near campus have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the school, the state of Tennessee, the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, the Metro Nashville Police Department and Metro government.

Eighteen-year-old Jillian Ludwig, from New Jersey, was hit by a bullet fired from a nearby public housing complex while she was walking on the track in Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. She was shot in the head and died from her injuries the next day.

Investigators said the gunfire came from across the street, which was captured on the property’s surveillance cameras. Metro police reported the footage showed a man fire multiple shots toward a dark sedan traveling along 13th Court toward Deford Bailey Avenue. At the same time, Ludwig was seen walking in the park and falling down after being struck by a bullet reportedly fired by 29-year-old Shaquille Taylor, who has an extensive criminal record.

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‘Jillian’s Law’ in effect July 1, acting as family’s first step toward justice

Taylor was prosecuted in April 2023 for an assault with a deadly weapon charge but was released after three court-appointed physicians ruled he was incompetent to stand trial.

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk released a statement about how Taylor could not be prosecuted for three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon related to an incident from August 2021 because he was found incompetent.

According to the lawsuit, Ludwig died due to “multiple combined acts of negligence and recklessness” from the multiple agencies, doctors, several security guards, the gun supplier and Taylor.

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Ludwig’s family claims the state is liable for her death by finding Taylor was incompetent to stand trial but competent enough to be released.

Click here to read the lawsuit.

Ludwig’s parents are seeking a jury trial and compensation of more than $50 million for her wrongful death, pain and suffering, medical expenses and loss of future income.

Belmont University provided the following statement to News 2 in response to this story:

This is new information as we have not yet been served with this lawsuit and need time to review. What we can tell you is that our entire campus shares in the continued grief of Jillian’s death, and we have been and remain deeply committed to the safety of our students.

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Since her death, the state of Tennessee has enacted “Jillian’s Law,” which requires any person deemed incompetent to stand trial to be entered into the National Instant Background Check System. The system prohibits those in a name check database from buying firearms. The legislation considers anyone who has been charged with a felony or Class A misdemeanor and found to be incompetent to stand trial “to pose a substantial likelihood of serious harm.” The law will also require defendants, like in Ludwig’s case, to be admitted in an appropriate treatment facility.

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Ludwig’s parents described her as driven and ambitious, with a heart full of gold. They said she was a fierce student and she had a passion for music. Ludwig sang in her church choir when she was seven years old and planned to pursue music in her post-graduate career.

Her parents have been outspoken to Tennessee lawmakers, pleading their case about why reform is needed. Through their untimely grief, they said the system failed their daughter.

Taylor remains incarcerated in the Metro jail.

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