$50 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit Targets Belmont University, Nashville Officials Over Student’s Fatal Shooting

The tragic loss of Jillian Ludwig, an 18-year-old Belmont University student, has led to a wrongful death lawsuit against multiple parties in Nashville. Ludwig suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head on November 7, 2023, while walking in a park close to the university campus. Amidst sorrow and unanswered questions, her parents have now pursued justice on her behalf.

The lawsuit has named Belmont University, the Metro Nashville Government, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), the Metro Development and Housing Agency (MDHA), and other defendants as responsible for the sequence of failures that allegedly culminated in Ludwig’s death. The family is seeking a staggering $50 million in damages, as reported by

WSMV

. The claims stem, in part, from the accusation that Belmont University failed to adequately warn Ludwig of the dangers associated with the park she frequented for exercise.

According to a statement obtained by

NewsChannel 5

, the lawsuit accuses the MDHA of knowing that the suspect, Shaquille Taylor, illegally possessed a firearm, yet allowed him to continue residing on their property. The MNPD is also under scrutiny for their alleged failure to promptly investigate reports of gunfire in the area where Ludwig was later discovered wounded.

The suspect, Taylor, figures significantly in the details of the legal action. After being declared mentally incompetent to stand trial earlier and released from custody, Taylor was linked to the gunfire that ultimately struck Ludwig. His mental competency evaluations, provided by professionals from the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, are being called into question, as they seemingly allowed him to abscond the confines of the legal system and continue to pose a potential threat to the community. “Our anger is with the system that allowed this to happen,” Matt Ludwig told

WSMV

.

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