Medical student shot dead during cancer walk in Memphis; her alleged killer arrested after police chase ended in accident

A medical student was shot and killed during a cancer walk in Memphis over the weekend, authorities said. The alleged killer – her ex-boyfriend – was charged with her murder after fleeing the scene of the shooting in his car, sparking a police chase that ended with his arrest, officials said.

Ellie Claire Young, 22, was fatally shot in the parking lot of the Shelby Farms Park Visitor Center, just outside Memphis, around noon Saturday, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said. Memphis Fire paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Young was getting into her car after a breast cancer walk in the park when another driver stopped 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 bail in Shelby County, according to jail records. Shelby County Prosecutor Steve Mulroy told WREG his office requested that no bond be granted, pending a hearing, due to the seriousness of the case.

“The murder of Ellie Young in Shelby Farms Park is a heartbreaking tragedy, and my deepest condolences go out to her family and friends,” Mulroy said.

Officers arrested him Saturday afternoon following a chase that culminated in a tactical maneuver that caused Hopper’s car to crash. He rolled over the center barrier of a highway in Dyer County, about 80 miles north of the shooting scene, video shows.

Cellphone footage of the arrest, obtained by WREG, captured the police response as they surrounded Hopper’s overturned vehicle. An armed police officer can be heard shouting in the video while ordering the suspect to show his hands and get out of the car. When Hopper failed to comply with exit instructions, several officers approached one of the car doors, opened it and appeared to remove the suspect. 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 Shelby County jail file.

Tipton County Sheriff Shannon Beasley, whose officers participated in Hopper’s arrest, said Tuesday that an internal investigation has been opened to look into the incident.

“We are working alongside other agencies and officials to conduct an internal investigation into this matter,” Beasley said in a statement. “A review of body camera and dash cam footage, as well as witness statements are being reviewed and released to the Attorney General’s Office. We will review all relevant documents before drawing any conclusions and we ask all world to do the same.”

CBS News reached out to the Shelby County Prosecutor’s Office and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tipton County Sheriff, for comment but did not receive immediate responses.

A GoFundMe set up to cover Young’s funeral and memorial expenses had raised nearly $40,000 as of Wednesday morning.