Southeast
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.
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Jillian Ludwig, 18, was fatally struck by a stray bullet while she was jogging in Nashville, Tennessee. (Family handout)
“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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Jessica Thorn Ludwig, right, said she does not want “any other parents to live through this nightmare that we’re going through.” (Family handout)
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.
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Shaquille Taylor was indicted on multiple charges in connection with Jillian Ludwig’s death. (MMetropolitan Nashville Police Department)
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.
A criminal affidavit states that Shaquille Taylor was allegedly aiming toward a target named “Lil Greg,” who was driving in the area when the suspect allegedly shot in his direction, where Jillian Ludwig was walking at the same time. (Family handout)
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.
“They protect the criminals and not the innocent victims.”
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.
Jillian Ludwig’s family says laws need to change so that repeat offenders who are deemed incompetent to stand trial are not immediately released from custody. (Family handout)
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.
Jillian Ludwig’s parents said that while she had always done well in school, she was most passionate about playing and studying music. (Family handout)
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.
Belmont University President Dr. Greg Jones addressed Jillian Ludwig’s death in an email to students and staff. (Instagram)
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 defendents who are deemed incompetent to stand trial to be housed in the appropriate mental health facility.
The law also requires defendents 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.
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A Tennessee college basketball player was shot and killed while in a vehicle on a Nashville freeway, police said Monday.
Andre Bell, 20, was a Fisk University sophomore from Jackson, Tennessee. He died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said.
Bell was with two friends heading back to campus on Interstate 65 after attending a gymnastics event. As the trio were in Bell’s Nissan Sentra, the friends noticed a black sedan in the left lane beside them, police said.
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Andre Bell, 20, a Fisk University basketball player, was fatally shot in the head while heading back to campus, police said.
“Both said they were distracted by their cellphones when they suddenly heard multiple gunshots and realized Bell had been hit,” a police news release states.
The Sentra slowed and spun back into traffic before colliding with a red pickup truck, police said. The dark sedan kept going.
Bell was shot in the head and rushed to the hospital in critical condition before he died.
Investigators said evidence suggests that the car from where the shots were fired likely has windshield damage based on the shattered glass at the scene.
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Andre Bell’s Nissan Sentra on I-65 North in Nashville. (Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
In a statement, Fisk University said it was mourning the tragic loss of Bell, a business administration major.
Fisk men’s basketball head coach Jeremiah Crutcher described Bell as a “gentle young man” who was “unfairly snatched from this world.”
Jubilee Hall at Fisk University on Jan. 1, 2016 in Nashville, Tenn. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
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“He was a dominant force on the Fisk University Men’s Basketball team, but he was most remembered for his infectious smile, loving personality, and unique ability to always bring warmth to a room,” he said. “We now have a deep absence in our program, but more importantly, we have a deep pain in our hearts. He will be truly missed. Our thoughts and unwavering prayers are with his family and the little kids in his family and in Nashville who looked up to him.”
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Dashcam video shows a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper navigating around a protester in Memphis, Tennessee, who appeared to play possum in front of a patrol car, leading the agency to swat down viral claims the man was actually hit.
Video posted to social media by the Tennessee Highway Patrol shows the trooper trying to work his way around a group of protesters. A man who appeared to be one of the protesters walked into frame from behind a white SUV.
The man, wearing a bright orange construction vest and holding a handheld radio, raised his hands and stepped in front of the trooper.
The trooper can be heard on camera shouting, “Move! Get out of my way! Get out of my way! Move!”
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Tennessee Highway Patrol released dashcam video showing a protester grabbing a patrol car and falling, disputing viral claims he was struck during a Memphis protest. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)
Instead, the protester shook his head and raised his index finger as if signaling the trooper to “hold on.”
The protester then grabbed the patrol vehicle’s push bars and fell backward, appearing to act as if he had been hit by the trooper’s vehicle.
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The protester dramatically fell backward while holding on to the patrol car’s push bar. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)
He then pulled himself up, raised his index finger at the trooper once more and walked back to his vehicle.
The video circulated on social media with claims the man was hit by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper, claims the agency called false.
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The protester popped right back up after falling backward. (Tennessee Highway Patrol)
“We respect and protect the right of people to protest peacefully,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. “That right, however, does not include entering active roadways or placing themselves in danger.
“In this case, video clearly shows the individual holding onto the front of the trooper’s vehicle, lying down, then standing back up afterward and leaving the scene under his own power,” the statement continued. “At no point does the video show the individual being run over or injured, despite the narratives circulating on social media.”
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The agency added that its priority is public safety for protesters, motorists and troopers.
“When someone enters the roadway, it creates a serious and immediate risk, and troopers are trained to respond to prevent injuries or worse outcomes,” the agency added.
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South Carolina Republican lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would criminalize abortion as murder, applying existing homicide and wrongful death laws from the moment of conception.
The Prenatal Equal Protection Act, introduced in the South Carolina House of Representatives, would be the strongest anti-abortion law in state history if enacted. The legislation has been scheduled for a hearing in the South Carolina House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee on Wednesday.
Supporters argue current heartbeat laws merely regulate abortion and still allow the procedure in certain cases, prompting Republican state Sen. Lee Bright to introduce the legislation as a way to extend full legal protections to unborn children.
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The South Carolina State House is seen in Columbia, South Carolina, where lawmakers are considering the Prenatal Equal Protection Act, a bill that would treat abortion as a homicide under state law. (LOGAN CYRUS/AFP via Getty Images)
“These children deserve equal protection. I will be filing a bill of equal protection today. I know we’ve got hearts and minds to change,” Bright said Tuesday at a press conference at the South Carolina State House.
South Carolina State Representative Rob Harris said that in 2023, the Legislature and the Governor revised the heartbeat law that regulates abortion and still allows the procedure under certain circumstances.
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South Carolina Sen. Lee Bright, R-Roebuck, spoke at a news conference about an abortion bill he is sponsoring on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
“Incredibly, in one section of that bill, it asserts that life begins at conception, but in another section, it writes into law where, when, and how someone may legally murder a baby in South Carolina,” Harris said.
The legislation would apply to all parties involved, including the pregnant woman.
Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers of the South Carolina General Assembly, meaning the bill could pass if GOP lawmakers remain unified. But similar abortion legislation has previously stalled amid divisions within the GOP, raising questions about whether the bill can advance.
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A November bill sought to further restrict abortion under existing law but stalled after some Republicans objected. The Prenatal Equal Protection Act goes much further, treating abortion as homicide from the moment of conception and applying criminal penalties, including for pregnant women — a shift supporters say is necessary to fully eliminate abortion.
Supporters argue the earlier bill failed because it regulated abortion rather than abolishing it, and say incremental restrictions have repeatedly stalled or been struck down, leaving a full equal-protection approach as the only lasting solution.
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A protester held a sign during a news conference on an abortion bill at the South Carolina Statehouse on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins)
The new bill is backed by national anti-abortion activists who have warned Republican lawmakers they could face primary challenges if they do not support it.
Critics are expected to raise concerns about criminal penalties, enforcement and constitutional issues.
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