NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Another victim of the man accused of shooting and killing a freshman Belmont University student is speaking out.
In 2021, Shaquille Taylor was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, but the case was dismissed by a judge because Taylor was deemed incompetent. Taylor spent time in jail being interviewed by doctors but they all agreed "further training (or medical care) would not change" his competency. So despite admitting to detectives that he shot into a car with children inside, he was released back to the street.
Shayla Workman, 26, and her two young children were the victims in that case.
"He had a low bond shooting at me and my two babies at the time, and you let him out because he's too incompetent. But you can't be too incompetent if you're admitting to shooting at everybody," Workman said.
Workman's ordeal with Taylor began when she testified against someone he cared about for shooting at her and her children.
"His brother was locked up for shooting at me initially in May. He was locked up from May until August," Workman said. "Between May and Aug. 2, 2021, I was harassed by him and his brother's girlfriend, him, and his cousins."
The confrontation reached its peak on August 2, 2021, at the now-demolished RiverChase Apartments. Taylor located Workman in her car with her children aged 3-years-old and 1-years-old at the time. Court documents obtained by NewsChannel 5 revealed that he fired his gun at the car with two rounds striking it.
"The bullet hit the top of my car and bounced off. Had I not been driving, it would've gone through the window and shot my son in his head," Workman said.
Workman's mother, Nakeda Kirby, expressed frustration with the legal system's handling of the case.
"Not only was she in contact with the DA's office, I harassed the DA's office because we're talking about my child and grandchildren."
The family says they were blindsided when they learned the case against Taylor was dismissed.
"I've seen him previously driving down the street. That's how I knew he was out. The DA's office never communicated with us," Kirby said.
This past week, Taylor was arrested again, this time for shooting at a moving vehicle in the Edgehill community. One of the stray bullets struck Belmont University freshman Jillian Ludwig in the head. She was in the park for an hour before anyone noticed her. She died the next day. Currently, Taylor's charges have been bound over to the Davidson County Grand Jury.
"This mother should not have to put her baby in the ground. Shaquille shouldn't have been released. The DA lady, she assured me — assured me he wouldn't be," Kirby said.
Both Workman and Kirby feel that the system failed not only their family but also the Ludwig family.
"The DA's office really made me feel like I was nothing trying to stand up and be the voice for my child," Kirby said.
Workman said her children still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder after the shooting.
"There should’ve been no room for her to lose her life to the hands of a man who has already shot at a woman and her two kids and the state of Tennessee knows," Workman said.
It's important to add that state and federal law prohibits the prosecution of persons found to be incompetent, so that’s why the case was dismissed. Doctors said Taylor wasn't a threat to himself or others, so he couldn't be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Taylor's criminal history
- 2011: Police seized a .40 caliber handgun from Taylor during an incident when he was a juvenile.
- 2015: Taylor was charged with robbery and given probation
- 2016: Taylor violated that probation when he was charged with aggravated burglary and was sentenced to a year in jail.
- 2021: Taylor was arrested after he and another man fired a gun into a car on Dickerson Pike in East Nashville. He was charged with aggravated assault.
- May 2023: He was released from custody after three court-appointed psychologists deemed him incompetent to stand trial, but also found he didn't pose an imminent threat to himself or others.
- Sept. 2023: Taylor was charged with auto theft and released on bail, but an arrest warrant was issued for him last Friday when he failed to show up in court.
