College freshman from NJ dies after shot in head near Belmont University in Nashville

A college freshman from New Jersey died after she was shot in the head near her university in Nashville, according to police.

Jillian Ludwig, an 18-year-old from Wall Township, was walking along a track at a park around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when she was struck in the head by a bullet, the Metro Nashville Police said. A passerby discovered her on the ground about an hour later. Ludwig was not believed to be the intended target.

She was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was clinging to life for more than a day, but police confirmed Thursday morning she died overnight.

Her death came after family and friends of the Belmont University student held a vigil in her hometown. A few hundred people gathered at a Little League field with candles to support the family, including Ludwig's younger brother, Shane.

Shaquille Taylor was arrested in connection with the shooting. Police said he was firing at a car from a nearby housing complex. The 29-year-old faces charges of aggravated assault and evidence tampering  and was being held on a $280,000 bond. A public defender assigned to Taylor’s case did not return phone and email messages requesting comment.

Taylor has been charged criminally several times in the past. In 2021, Taylor was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon after he and another man were accused of shooting at a female driver while her two children were in the back seat. At least two rounds struck the vehicle. Earlier in 2023, a Nashville judge dismissed those charges, and Taylor was released after court-appointed doctors testified that he was incompetent to stand trial. Federal and state law prohibit the prosecution of mentally incompetent defendants.

The May 19 court order explained that Taylor had developed pneumonia at birth, which led to a brain infection, and that he continues to function at a kindergarten level. Because Taylor also did not meet the criteria for involuntary commitment, the court had “reached the limit of its authority,” Criminal Court Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton wrote.

Four months later, Taylor was arrested in a grocery store parking lot driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck that had been carjacked by two men wearing ski masks Sept. 16, police said. He was charged with felony auto theft and released on a $20,000 bond. A warrant was issued when he failed to appear in court Friday.

On Wednesday, Nashville District Attorney General Glenn Funk issued a statement criticizing the Tennessee law that sets out rules for when a person can be involuntarily committed, calling it a “nearly impossible standard.”

State law requires at least two doctors to certify that the person is suffering from a severe mental illness or developmental disability that causes that person to be at a substantial risk of serious harm to himself or others. The doctors must also find that there are no less restrictive measures that could be taken.

Funk wants to make it easier to get an individual committed to a mental institution.

“The law must be altered to accurately balance individual needs with public safety,” Funk said in a statement. "At the same time Tennessee must provide more beds and staffing resources to handle dangerous individuals."

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell echoed those sentiments in a statement calling for “more beds for individuals experiencing mental health crises and a renewed conversation about how we limit access to firearms for individuals we know are a threat to the community."

Belmont University President Greg Jones sent an email to students and staff Wednesday morning announcing a prayer service for Ludwig. He described her as a music business major and bass player who “is often found at concerts, cheering on fellow musicians and using music as a way to connect with those around her.” She was also an avid runner who enjoys being outside, Jones wrote.