A medical student was fatally shot after a charity breast cancer walk in Memphis over the weekend and her ex-boyfriend is facing charges as the alleged shooter, officials said.
Ellie Claire Young, 22, was fatally shot in the parking lot at Shelby Farms Park, just outside Memphis, around noon last Saturday, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told WREG that Young was getting into her car after the American Cancer Society walk when another car pulled up alongside the vehicle and shot her.
The suspect was arrested following a police chase. He was identified as Jackson Hopper — Young’s ex-boyfriend. The 26-year-old is being held in Shelby County Jail without bail. He has been charged with first-degree murder, but additional charges could be added.
A bond hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28. Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy will request the suspect not be given bail due to the severity of the crime.
He’s also facing charges in multiple other counties related to the police pursuit.
Internal reviews into the arrest are also being conducted after cellphone video showed officers seeming to punch Hopper. He appears to have sustained injuries in his booking photo.
A candlelight vigil for the victim was held Tuesday night in nearby Halls, Tenn., drawing a crowd of hundreds.
Young was a first-year student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and aspired to be a doctor, friends said.