Family of Nashville college student killed by stray bullet in park accuse city, school officials of negligence
The parents of an 18-year-old freshman at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennesseee, who was killed when a stray bullet struck her in the head in 2023 are suing multiple people and entities after their daughter was left dying on a sidewalk for about an hour.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Davidson County says Jillian Ludwig, 18, "was killed in a shooting that was made possible by the multiple combined acts of negligence and recklessness committed by the Defendants here in Davidson County, Tennessee."
The defendants include the city of Nashville, the state of Tennessee, the Nashville Metro Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), Belmont University, state or city employees who examined shooting suspect Shaquille Latrelle Taylor's mental health, a gun supplier that sold a firearm to Taylor and others.
Ludwig "was considered by many music professionals to be a budding star" at the time of her death, the lawsuit states. She played six instruments, was a member of three bands and performed at well-known venues in Nashville.
"Jillian loved her family and friends, and she was a radiant and talented young woman with a bright future ahead of her," the suit says.
The lawsuit goes on to detail a series of alleged failures that led Taylor, who had previously been deemed incompetent to stand trial in a separate criminal case prior to Ludwig's death, to illegally possess a firearm that he discharged in the area where the 18-year-old was running on Nov. 7, 2023.
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That day, Ludwig was jogging on a track in Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park, just northeast of Belmont's campus, between classes around 2:20 p.m., when she was struck by gunfire that was allegedly intended for another target, the Nashville Police Department said at the time.
Nashville police arrested repeat offender Taylor, 29, in connection with the shooting that left Ludwig initially hospitalized in critical condition before she was pronounced dead on Nov. 8.
In March, a grand jury indicted Taylor, who had an extensive criminal history, on multiple counts, including first-degree murder, felony weapons possession with criminal intent, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and reckless endangerment.
The suspect had previously been accused of shooting a Nashville teenager in the chest and shooting a pregnant Nashville woman while she was with her two children. Her injuries led to the miscarriage of her unborn child, the complaint notes.
Taylor "recklessly discharged a .40-caliber firearm" in the Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park area while Ludwig was running, striking the 18-year-old musician in the head.
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"Jillian lay bleeding at this location…in plain view, in broad daylight, for over an hour before she was found by police and provided medical attention," the complaint states.
Ludwig's father, Matthew Ludwig, previously told Fox News Digital that the shooting "was entirely preventable."
"And the laws in place failed," he said in November 2023.
The lawsuit argues that Belmont University knew or should have known to alert students that the area where Ludwig had been running was unsafe, as they had issued "other security warnings … to students in other less dangerous areas."
Belmont University said there is little the school can say regarding the pending litigation, but the university did say in a statement that its "entire campus shares in the continued grief of Jillian’s death," and the community has been and remains "deeply committed to the safety" of its students.
The complaint also alleges the Nashville MDHA, which owned the apartment complex where Taylor, a felon, allegedly fired his illegally possessed weapon, had a duty to "ensure that Taylor was not using a handgun" on its property, shooting into the park where Ludwig was running.
The metro housing agency said it could not comment on pending litigation, and the Nashville Department of Law, which handles legal requests relating to the Nashville government, said it will have no comment on this case until the case is resolved.
The lawsuit further names Jenny Matthai, Dr. Michael Loftin and Dr. Mary Jane Wood, with the Tennessee government, as defendants, alleging the three medical experts had "conflicting evaluations" that determined Taylor was too incompetent to stand trial yet not so incompetent that he qualified to be held in involuntary confinement for past crimes prior to the shooting that killed Ludwig.
Taylor, therefore, was allowed "to go free from both criminal prosecution and involuntary confinement causing substantial risk of physical harm to Jillian," the complaint says.
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"Said Defendants further knew while Taylor was in their custody and control that he had a specific history of violence and gun violence. Further, said Defendants knew or should have known in the exercise of sound professional judgment that Taylor would likely harm others if released," the lawsuit says of Matthai, Loftin and Wood.
The Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging did not respond to an inquiry from Fox News Digital.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said his "heart still aches for Jillian Ludwig, her family, and the entire Belmont community" in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Last year, we collectively grieved such senseless gun violence. I remain inspired by the incredible strength of the Belmont community as they collectively grieved Jillian's passing, and I hope that the Ludwig family feels our support," O'Connell said. "We continue to look for effective solutions to reduce gun violence in our community."
The Ludwigs' attorneys were not commenting on the case at the time of publication out of respect for the family.
Matthew Ludwig previously told Fox News Digital in 2023 that until laws change, "this could happen to anyone." And in April 2023, the Ludwig family was successful in doing just that with the passage of Jillian's law, which requires dependents who are deemed incompetent to stand trial to be housed in the appropriate mental health facility.
The law also requires dependents who are determined to be incompetent to stand trial to be entered into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System so that they cannot purchase firearms.