Medical student shot dead during cancer walk in Memphis; His alleged killer is caught after police chase ends in accident

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

Ellie Claire Young, 22, was shot to death in the parking lot of the visitor center at Shelby Farms Park 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 pulled up and shot her, CBS affiliate WREG reported, citing police officers 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 that his office requested that no bond be granted pending a hearing due to the severity 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 took him into custody on Saturday afternoon after a pursuit that culminated in a tactical maneuver that caused Hopper to crash his car. He flipped over a highway median barrier in Dyer County, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of the shooting site, the video showed.

Cellphone footage of the arrest, obtained by WREG, captured the police response as they surrounded Hopper’s overturned vehicle. An armed officer can be heard shouting in the video as he orders the suspect to show his hands and get out of the car. When Hopper did not comply with instructions to leave, several officers approached one of the car doors, opened it and appeared to take the suspect out. Several officers rushed to attack Hopper, and at least one of them grabbed him and appeared to punch him.

Hopper appears to have two black eyes in the photo attached to his Shelby County arrest record.

Tipton County Sheriff Shannon Beasley, whose deputies were involved 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 authorities as we conduct an internal investigation into this matter,” Beasley said in a statement. “A review of body and car camera footage, as well as witness statements, is being reviewed and released to the District Attorney’s Office. We will review all pertinent material before reaching any conclusions and ask that everyone do the same.”

CBS News contacted the district attorney’s office and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the Tipton County Sheriff, for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

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