Family of student killed by stray bullet in Park Sue City and school

The parents of an 18-year-old freshman at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, who was killed when a stray bullet struck her in the head in 2023, are suing multiple people and entities after their daughter lay dying on a sidewalk for about a year. hour.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed in Davidson County says Jillian Ludwig, 18, “was killed in a shooting 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 screened the suspect’s mental health the shooting, Shaquille Latrelle Taylor, a weapons dealer who sold a gun to Taylor. and others.

Ludwig “was considered by many music professionals to be a burgeoning star” at the time of his death, the lawsuit says. She played six instruments, was a member of three bands, and performed at prominent Nashville venues.

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“Jillian loved her family and friends, and she was a radiant and talented young woman with a bright future ahead of her,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit then details a series of alleged failures that led Taylor, who had been found incompetent to stand trial in a separate criminal case before Ludwig’s death, to illegally possess a firearm that he discharged in the area where was the 18-year-old man. -old was running on November 7, 2023.

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That day, Ludwig was jogging on a track at Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park, just northeast of the Belmont campus, between classes around 2:20 p.m., when she was hit by gunfire believed to have been intended to 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 several counts, including first-degree murder, possession of a weapon with criminal intent, five counts of aggravated assault with deadly weapon and reckless endangerment.

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The suspect was previously 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 a miscarriage of her unborn child, the complaint notes.

Taylor “recklessly discharged a .40 caliber firearm” in the area of ​​Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park while Ludwig was running, striking the 18-year-old musician in the head.

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“Jillian remained bleeding at this location…in plain sight, in broad daylight, for over an hour before she was found by police and received medical treatment,” the complaint states.

Ludwig’s father, Matthew Ludwig, previously told Fox News Digital that the shooting “was entirely preventable.”

“And the laws in place have failed,” he said in November 2023.

“They protect criminals, not innocent victims.”

— Jessica Ludwig, November 2023

The lawsuit contends that Belmont University knew or should have known to alert students that the area Ludwig was heading to was unsafe because it had issued “other safety warnings…to students at other less dangerous areas.

Belmont University said the school could not say much about the ongoing litigation, but the university said in a statement that “its entire campus shares the continued grief over Jillian’s death” and that the community has been and remains “deeply committed to the safety” of its students.

The complaint also alleges that Nashville MDHA, owner of the apartment complex where Taylor, a felon, allegedly fired his illegally possessed gun, had a duty to “ensure that Taylor was not using a handgun » on his property, shooting in the park where Ludwig was running.

The Metropolitan Housing Agency said it could not comment on pending litigation, and the Nashville Law Department, which handles legal requests relating to Nashville government, said it would have no comment on this case until the matter is resolved.

The lawsuit further names Tennessee Gov. Jenny Matthai, Dr. Michael Loftin and Dr. Mary Jane Wood as defendants, alleging that the three medical experts had “conflicting evaluations” that determined Taylor was too incompetent to stand trial, but not that incompetent. he was qualified to be held involuntarily for past crimes before the shooting that killed Ludwig.

Taylor was therefore allowed “to escape both criminal prosecution and involuntary detention resulting in substantial risk of physical harm to Jillian,” the complaint states.

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“He stated that the defendants further knew, while Taylor was in their custody and control, that he had a specific history of violence and gun violence. Furthermore, the defendants knew or should have known, by exercising their good 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 a request 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 mourned such senseless gun violence. I remain inspired by the incredible strength of the Belmont community as they collectively mourned the passing of Jillian, and I hope the Ludwig family feels our support,” O’Connell said. “We continue to seek effective solutions to reduce gun violence in our community.”

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The Ludwigs’ attorneys had no comment 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 able to achieve this through the passage of Jillian’s Law, which requires that dependents found incompetent to stand trial be housed in an appropriate mental health facility.

The law also requires that dependents found incompetent to stand trial be enrolled in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System so they cannot purchase firearms.