NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A bill is now named in memory of Jillian Ludwig, a Belmont University student who was allegedly shot by a man who was previously declared mentally incompetent by a Nashville court.
As written, HB 1640 would mean a person facing criminal charges who was deemed not competent to stand trial by a judge would be sent to a mental health facility and the individual would not be able to possess or purchase firearms. This comes from House Majority Leader William Lamberth, R-Portland. Named for Ludwig on Tuesday, the bill would move forward in the House and Senate in the criminal justice and judiciary committees.
Maintaining this law would take around $1.1 million yearly, according to a fiscal note filed this week. How long someone stays in a facility or is restricted from owning weapons would be up to the judge.
This issue most notably arose after her death. Ludwig was walking in a park near campus and was struck by a stray bullet.
Police arrested Shaquille Taylor for the shooting. Taylor, 29, has an intellectual disability and language impairment, according to court records obtained by NewsChannel 5. That determination meant he wasn't able to participate in a trial where he was accused of shooting into a car in 2021 off of Dickerson Pike where a 3-year-old and 1-year-old were in the back seat. He admitted to detectives in 2021 that he did it.
His case has currently been bound over from the general sessions court and is pending as of late January.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
