A promising Tennessee medical student was allegedly shot by her ex-boyfriend during a cancer charity walk over the weekend, leading to a deadly multi-county car chase, police said.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said 22-year-old Allie Claire Young was shot and killed at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event at Shelby Farms Park in Memphis about 12:15 a.m. Saturday.
Young was inside her Jeep in the parking lot when the suspect drove up in a white Honda CRV and fired two shots at her car. ABC24 reported,
Eyewitnesses said she got out of the vehicle and the gunman fired at least one more shot, striking the coup, as she lay on the ground.
Young was a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, FOX13 reported,
A tribute on a GoFundMe page set up in Young’s honor said, “A beautiful soul inside and out, Ellie dedicated her life to serving others, and was on her way to becoming an incredible physician.”
“She was walking in the sunshine and the world is now a dark place without her,” the statement said.
An eyewitness said the firing created chaos at the charity event.
Walk participant Monica Bell told FOX13 about the chaos, “I was having a good time and after the walk, I was walking to my car and these young girls started running and this guy was like ‘Pow, pow.’ He said this and went away. ,
“It was like, you know, how a car backfires? “It seemed like it but come to find out, we have done it,” he said as a man shot his wife in the head,” said another witness.
Young died at the scene.
The suspect, Young’s ex-boyfriend Jackson Hopper, 26, reportedly fled the scene in a CRV.
He was pursued during a tense chase by officers from both the Mason City and Tipton County Sheriff’s Office.
At one point, Hopper also allegedly tried to run over a Tipton County constable who was deploying a stop stick, police said.
The pursuit continued into Lauderdale and Dyer County. At approximately 3:30 p.m., a Dyer County deputy pulled over to Hopper’s vehicle to stop him as he was going the wrong way into oncoming traffic.
Hopper reportedly fought with the arresting deputies, who discovered that a gun was found inside his car.
He was taken for medical treatment before being arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Hopper appeared in his booking photo with one eye bruised and swollen shut, though it was not immediately clear whether the injury was from his arrest or a separate incident.
Police said Young’s murder is believed to be the result of a domestic dispute, although the investigation is still ongoing.
Hopper also faces charges in Tipton County of possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous crime, evading a crime, aggravated assault without injury, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, resisting arrest and speeding. .
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy’s office said Monday that due to the seriousness of the charges, prosecutors are requesting no bond.
During his first court appearance Monday, Hopper pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder, his attorney told FOX13.
As of Tuesday morning, Young’s GoFundMe had raised more than $35,000 of its $40,000 goal.
