College student hit by stray bullet, dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An 18-year-old college student who had been walking a track at a park in Nashville, Tennessee, has died after being hit in the head by a stray bullet.

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The shooting happened around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.

Police said Shaquille Taylor, 29, had fired at a car near the track but the bullet hit Jillian Ludwig. About an hour later, a passerby found Ludwig on the ground and she was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she died on Wednesday.

The incident was captured on surveillance video and witnesses identified Taylor as the alleged shooter.

Police said that Taylor admitted to pulling the trigger and said he gave the gun to someone else, according to a news release.

Taylor, who was arrested Tuesday night, had a previous criminal history including three charges of assault with a deadly weapon in 2021. He was accused of shooting at a woman who was driving a car while her children were in the backseat of the vehicle. A judge dismissed the charges when three doctors testified that Taylor was incompetent to stand trial because he is severely intellectually disabled, the AP reported. Taylor also didn’t qualify for involuntary commitment to a mental health facility, so he was released from prison.

Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk detailed Taylor’s history and is calling for a move to make it easier to involuntarily commit a person, saying that the current standards are “nearly impossible” to meet, the AP reported.

To be committed, Funk said that two doctors must determine that a person suffered from severe mental illness that makes them a substantial risk of serious harm to themselves or others. They can only be committed. Because he was not convicted of a felony, and the state has no red flag laws, Taylor was legally allowed to carry a gun, The Tennessean reported.

Taylor also was arrested in September in connection to a carjacking and charged with felony auto theft but had been released on $20,000 bond. He was supposed to be in court last week but failed to appear so the courts issued a warrant for him, police said.

Ludwig was a 2023 graduate of Wall High School in Wall Township, New Jersey, but attended Belmont University as a freshman majoring in music business and to pursue her love of music playing bass, The Tennessean reported.

Ludwig was remembered by Belmont University as a music lover and an “avid runner who enjoys being outside,” CNN reported.

“Jillian is an engaged member of our community who is known for her love of music and its incredible power,” Belmont University President Greg Jones told students and staff via email before Ludwig died, CNN reported. “A music business major and bass player, she is often found at concerts, cheering on fellow musicians and using music as a way to connect with those around her.”

A prayer service was held both in Nashville and in New Jersey in memory of Ludwig.