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Nashville College Freshman Dies After Stray Bullet Shooting

Police said they’re in discussion with the DA’s office about upgrading charges against the alleged shooter.

The 18-year-old Belmont University freshman who was hit in the head by a stray bullet while walking at Edgehill Community Memorial Gardens Park died on Wednesday night, according to the Metro Nashville Police Department. Officers said they found Jillian Ludwig in critical condition about an hour after she was shot Tuesday afternoon and they were allegedly told by an informant that she was hit by a bullet fired by 29-year-old Shaquille Taylor. Footage from a nearby property’s CCTV showed a man firing at a moving car that same afternoon, officials said. Taylor was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and evidence tampering, and remained in prison on a $280,000 bond on Wednesday. Nashville Police said Thursday that they’re in discussion with the District Attorney’s office about upgrading charges in the wake of Ludwig’s death. Meanwhile, District Attorney Glenn Funk said in a statement that Taylor was previously charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an incident in August 2021 but he was not prosecuted because he was ruled incompetent.