A medical student was shot and killed at a cancer walk in Memphis over the weekend, authorities said. The suspected killer — her ex-boyfriend — was charged in her murder after fleeing the scene of the shooting in his car, prompting a police chase that ended with his arrest, officials said.
Ellie Claire Young, 22, was fatally shot in the parking lot of the visitor center at Shelby Farms Park just outside of Memphis at around noon Saturday, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said. Memphis Fire paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
Young was getting into her car after a breast cancer walk at the park when another driver pulled up and shot her, CBS affiliate WREG reported, citing police and witnesses. Young was a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, according to the station.
Young’s ex-boyfriend, Jackson Hopper, 26, is being held without bond in Shelby County, according to jail records. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told WREG his office requested that no bond was granted, pending a hearing, because of the severity of the case.
“The murder of Ellie Young at Shelby Farms Park is a heartbreaking tragedy, and my deepest condolences go out to her family and friends,” Mulroy said.
Officers took him into custody Saturday afternoon following a chase that culminated in a tactical maneuver, which caused Hopper to crash his car. It flipped over onto the center barrier of a roadway in Dyer County, some 80 miles north of the site of the shooting, video showed.
Cell phone footage of the arrest, obtained by WREG, captured the police response as they surrounded Hopper’s overturned vehicle. One armed officer can be heard shouting in the video while ordering the suspect to show his hands and exit the car. When Hopper did not comply with the instructions to exit, several officers approached one of the car doors, opened it and appeared to pull the suspect out. Several officers then rushed to swarm Hopper, and at least one of them held him down and appeared to punch him.
Hopper appears to have two black eyes in the booking photo attached to his jail record in Shelby County.
Sheriff Shannon Beasley of Tipton County, whose officers were involved in Hopper’s arrest, said Tuesday an internal investigation had been opened to review the incident.
“We are working alongside other agencies and officials as we conduct an internal investigation into this matter,” Beasley said in a statement. “A review of body camera and in-car camera footage, as well as witness statements are being reviewed and released to the Attorney General’s Office. We will review all pertinent material before drawing any conclusions and we ask that everyone do the same.”
CBS News contacted the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office in Shelby County, as well as the sheriff in Tipton County, for comment but did not receive immediate replies.
A GoFundMe set up to cover Young’s funeral and memorial expenses had raised nearly $40,000 as of Wednesday morning.
