Belmont University Student Shot & Killed by Repeat Offender In Nashville
Image Credit: MNPD & Google Maps
The Tennessee Conservative [By Adelia Kirchner] –
A freshman at Belmont University was shot and killed on Tuesday afternoon while walking through a park in Nashville.
18-year-old Jillian Ludwig was hospitalized at Vanderbilt Medical Center in critical condition and died on Wednesday evening.
29-year-old Shaquille Taylor has been arrested in connection with the shooting.
According to the Nashville Police Department, the gunfire came from public housing across from Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park, where Ludwig was walking just a few blocks away from the Belmont campus.
A preliminary investigation has exposed that Taylor “was shooting at a car when a bullet hit Ludwig in the head as she walked on a track” in the park. Six shell casings were found on the ground near Ludwig’s body.
Currently, Taylor is being charged with aggravated assault and evidence tampering. His bond has been set at $280,000.
A criminal affidavit reads that Taylor was allegedly aiming for another individual who goes by “Lil Greg.”
The suspect allegedly fled the scene after the shooting occurred and returned to his apartment to try to dispose of the gun. According to police, Taylor told his girlfriend that he had in fact, been involved in a shooting.
According to Davidson County records, Taylor is a repeat offender with charges of robbery and aggravated burglary dating all the way back to 2015.
Back in May of this year, he was released after being charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and in September he was charged with theft of over $10,000.
The aggravated assault case was dismissed after Taylor was ruled “incompetent to stand trial.”
“So, we have to ask, why was this man free?” said Geri Wainwright, Ludwig’s aunt. “What kind of world do we live in where it’s not safe to take a walk near your college dorm in broad daylight?”
In a November 8th press release, District Attorney General of Nashville and Davidson County Glenn Funk states that Taylor had been released from custody on May 19th of this year after doctors found that he did not meet “the standards for involuntary commitment.”
“Under Tennessee law, for a person to be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, at least two doctors must have executed certificates that the person is suffering from a severe mental illness or developmental disability that causes the person to be a substantial risk of serious harm to himself or others. The doctors must also find that there are no other less restrictive measures than commitment,” Funk writes.
“This nearly impossible standard impacts public safety,” says Funk. “The law must be altered to accurately balance individual needs with public safety.”
The rate of repeat offenders and their impact on the Nashville area and other areas of Tennessee was already a major concern for Funk before Ludwig’s life was taken.
“It’s unbelievably frustrating,” Funk told NBC News on October 26th, 2023.
About the Author: Adelia Kirchner is a Tennessee resident and reporter for the Tennessee Conservative. Currently the host of Subtle Rampage Podcast, she has also worked for the South Dakota State Legislature and interned for Senator Bill Hagerty’s Office in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Adelia at adelia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
Not enough prisons, not enough mental institutions and those we have are not adequately manned. Conservatives should make that the primary “woman’s issue” rather than abortion which has proven to be such a loser for conservatives. You can’t have “law and order” on the cheap.
This is the Liberal/Democrat legal system at work.
I think it’s time to ban “Mary” from this forum.
Nashville Democrats refuse to prosecute criminals but want to take guns from law abiding citizens. Typical Democrat crap!
This was an obvious hate crime and this black man should be put to death for murder and no exceptions. If a white person had killed black person then it would have been all over the news and touted as a hate crime. It’s time to mete out equal punishment. This person is a detriment to society and must be removed. He is most likely a Satan worshipper as evidenced by his dreadlocks.