Medical student executed at close range by ex at breast cancer charity walk: cops
A promising Tennessee medical student was allegedly shot execution-style at a cancer charity walk over the weekend by her ex-boyfriend, who then led police on a dangerous multi-county car cꦍhase, cops said.
Ellie Claire Young, 22, was fatally gunned down at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event in Shelby Farms Park in Memphis around 12:15 p.m. Saturday, the S𒉰helby County Sheriff’s Office said.
Young was inside her Jeep in the parking lot when the suspect pulled up in a whit🧸e Honda CRV and fired two shots into her car, .
She got out of the vehicle, and the gunman fired as lea🎐st one more shot, a coup de grâce, as she lay on𝓡 the ground, witnesses said.
Young was a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Scien🎐ce Center,.
“A beautiful soul inside and out, Ellie dedicatedꦚ her life towards serving others, and was well on her way to becoming an incredible physician,” a tribute on the GoFundMe page set up in Y✤oung’s honor said.
“She was walking sunshine, and the🗹 world is now a darker place wit🦹hout her,” the statement added.
A witness said the shooting caused chaꦰos at the charity e🐼vent.
“I was having a good time and after I got through walking, I’m walking toward my car and these young ladies started running and the man, ‘Pow, pow’ and pulled off,” walk participant Monica Bell told FOX13 of the chaos.
“It sounded like, you know, how a car backfires? That’s what it sounded like but come to find out, we got done with it, they saidꦰ a man shot his wife in the head,” added another witness.
Young died at the scene.
The suspect, Young’s former boyfriend Jackson Hopper, 26, allegedly fled the scene in the CRV.
He was pursued during a tense chase by officers f🐼rom both the town of Mason and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office.
At one point, Hopper al🌸legedly even tried to run over a Tipton County Constable who was deploying stop sticks, cops said.
The chase continued through Lauderdale and into Dyer County. At around 3:30 p.m., a Dyer County deputy crashed into Hopper’s vehicle in order t🙈o stop him as he was going the wrong way into🌜 oncoming traffic.
Hopper then allegedly fought with the arresting deputies, who found a gun was found inside his👍 car.
He was taken for𓂃 medical treatment before being arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Hopper appeared in his booking photo with one of his eyes bruised and s🦂wollen shut, though it was not immediately clear if this injury was from his arrest or a separate incident.
Young’s killin🌃g is believed to have the result of a domestic dispute, though the investigation is still ongoing, cops said.
H🦄opper is also facing charges in Tipton County for possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, felony evading, aggravated assault w/o injury, reckless endangerment, reckles🌟s driving, resisting arrest and speeding.
Given the severity of the charges, the prosecutors are requesting n♛o bond, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy’s office sai𝕴d Monday.
During his first court appearance Monday, Hopper🐼 pleaded not guilty to the first-degree murder charge, his lawyer told FOX13.
As of Tuesday morning, Young’s GoFundMe had raised over $35,000 of its $40,000 goal.
