A Belmont University student who was struck by a stray bullet near campus on Tuesday afternoon has died from her injuries. The Metro Nashville Police Department announced her death Thursday morning.
Jillian Ludwig was a freshman at Belmont, an aspiring musician and a fan of The Beatles.
She got her start recording guitar covers on Instagram. Before she left her hometown of Belmar, New Jersey, for Music City, she was already performing live in a band and doing her own solo performances.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell spoke at a prayer vigil for Ludwig on Wednesday.
“My heart aches today for Jillian Ludwig, her family and the entire Belmont community. Once again, we grieve senseless gun violence,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell also called for a change to the Tennessee law which allowed the man accused of shooting Ludwig to leave police custody.
Shaquille Taylor was found incompetent to stand trial on an aggravated assault charge in April, and was released a month later. Doctors determined he didn’t meet the state’s criteria for involuntary commitment.
“Our criminal legal system and limited mental health access left a dangerous individual both untreated and legally armed,” O’Connell said. “Tennessee needs more beds for individuals experiencing mental health crises and a renewed conversation about how we limit access to firearms for individuals we know are a threat to the community.”
Nashville District Attorney Glenn Funk has also criticized the state’s standards for involuntary commitment.
“This nearly impossible standard impacts public safety. The law must be altered to accurately balance individual needs with public safety,” he said in a statement.
The DA’s office tells WPLN News that it does not yet know how Taylor was able to acquire a gun after his trial. MNPD says he gave the gun to someone else before being taken into custody.
The shooting occurred a few miles from Belmont’s campus, near the William Edmondson Homesite Park & Gardens in Edgehill. Friends of that park released a statement, mourning the loss of Ludwig. The park has hosted many memorials for victims of gun violence in the past, including planting trees in honor of lives loss during the Covenant School shooting.
“We recognize that there is no single, simple solution to the complex problem of rising gun violence. We call on all of our Metro and state elected officials to make an urgent priority of addressing this crisis with common-sense gun safety and criminal justice reform legislation that would promote safety in all of our communities,” the statement said.
The charges against Taylor will be modified since Ludwig’s passing.
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available. This post was last updated at 1:11 p.m. Thursday.
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