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Jillian Ludwig, Shaquille Taylor (images via Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)
Jillian Ludwig was an 18-year-old musician from Wall, New Jersey, pursuing her dreams in Nashville, Tennessee, studying music business as a freshman at Belmont University. On Tuesday, Ludwig, an “avid runner,” was fatally shot in the head by a stray bullet while she was out walking on a track in Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park. Tragically, the man later arrested as the shooting suspect is far from a stranger to police. In fact, the Davidson County District Attorney revealed the suspect was previously charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon as recently as April, but the case went nowhere.
Why? Because suspect Shaquille Taylor, 29, was found incompetent to stand trial — and yet wasn’t eligible to be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility.
DA Glenn Funk said in a statement Wednesday that his office attempted to prosecute Taylor but he was released from custody on May 19, roughly half a year ago.
Funk said that “three court appointed doctors unanimously testified” that Taylor was incompetent to stand trial, that Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton dismissed the case, and that Taylor went on to be released from custody as a result.
The DA said Taylor was released “[b]ecause the doctors did not find Mr. Taylor met the standards for involuntary commitment.” The Associated Press reported that a court order described Taylor as having kindergarten-level functioning because he was born with pneumonia and, thereafter, had a brain infection.
Funk said that Tennessee law requires “at least two doctors” to execute “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 means than commitment,” Funk continued. “This nearly impossible standard impacts public safety. The law must be altered to accurately balance individual needs with public safety.”
The details only worsen from there. From the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s press release:
Taylor had been last arrested on September 21 in a grocery store parking lot driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck that had been carjacked by two men wearing ski masks on September 16 on Whites Creek Pike near Dickerson Pike. Taylor did not admit to being involved in the carjacking. He was charged with felony auto theft and was subsequently released on a $20,000 bond. He failed to appear in court on that charge last Friday. A failure to appear warrant was issued by the court.
Just days after Taylor no-showed court in a separate felony case while out on bond, the suspect allegedly went on to perpetrate a shooting that had absolutely nothing to do with Jillian Ludwig but which nonetheless shattered her dreams and broke the hearts of her family, friends, and the Belmont University community.
“The investigation shows that Taylor was standing on 13th Ct when he opened fire on a car traveling on 13th Ct toward Deford Bailey Avenue at 2:24 p.m. Tuesday. At that same time, Ludwig was walking in the park located on the opposite side of Deford Bailey Avenue,” the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said. “One of Taylor’s shots is alleged to have struck Ludwig in the head, causing her to immediately collapse.”
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Cops said that it took more than an hour for someone to notice that Ludwig had been shot.
“She was discovered on the ground at approximately 3:30 p.m. by a passerby who quickly notified police. Ludwig was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she is in extremely critical condition,” police said.
On Thursday, police announced that Ludwig died overnight, a day after the shooting.
Jullian Ludwig had a YouTube channel, where she uploaded several videos of her singing and playing several covers over the last year, including songs by Amy Winehouse, Adele, Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, and the Beatles.
The bassist’s aunt Geri Wainwright said in a statement to WSMV, before Ludwig died at the hospital, that “[l]osing her would forever change the fabric of our lives.”
“Jillian has such a beautiful soul. Her smile lights up any room and she is loved by everyone lucky enough to know her,” Wainwright said, adding that her “fierce,” fearless and kind niece graduated from Wall High School in June, according to WSMV.
“She loves her life, her friends, parents and her younger brothers,” Wainwright reportedly said, before asking why Shaquille Taylor was not behind bars at the time of the shooting.
“We have been made aware that the suspect in her shooting had a record of violent crime. We sent our girl into the world to do amazing things,” the aunt reportedly said, demanding answers. “Given the opportunity, she would have. So we have to ask, why was this man free? What kind of world do we live in where it’s not safe to take a walk near your college dorm in broad daylight? How could someone so carelessly dim the light of a star destined to shine so bright?”
Authorities allege that surveillance video, witness statements, and Taylor’s own admissions about firing the shots made him their prime suspect in what began as an aggravated assault and evidence tampering case.
“A review of surveillance camera footage and witness information led to the identification of Taylor as the suspected gunman. He admitted to firing shots during an interview with detectives at police headquarters. He claimed to have given the gun involved to another person,” police said.
Investigators must now conduct a homicide investigation.
Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show that Taylor was initially booked on Wednesday afternoon on failure to appear, aggravated assault, and evidence tampering charges totaled a $280,000 bond.
