John Jefferson
Inset, top to bottom: Jackson Hopper (SCSO) and Ellie Young (GoFundMe). Background: The parking lot where Hopper fatally shot Young (SCSO).
A 26-year-old man in Tennessee is facing a possible life sentence for allegedly killing his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend, a medical student who was fatally shot was participating in a walk benefiting the American Cancer Society over the weekend. Jackson Hopper was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the cold-blooded slaying of Ellie Young, authorities announced.
Young, a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, had been attending the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” event at the park.
According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at about 12:19 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, responded to a call about a recent homicide at the Shelby Farms Visitor’s Center in the 6900 block of Great View Drive North in Memphis.
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders said they located an adult female — later identified as Young — on the ground near her Jeep Wrangler suffering from what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency medical personnel on the scene pronounced Young dead at about 12:36 p.m., the affidavit states.
“Witnesses stated that they observed the victim parked in a parking space on the lot. A white Honda CRV with a Kentucky Temp Tag pulled behind the victim’s Jeep,” the affidavit states. “The male white driver of the Honda CRV fired two shots into the back of the Jeep occupied by the victim. The victim came out of the Jeep Wrangler and the male white suspect fired at least one more shot into the victim as she lay on the ground. The suspect then re-entered the white Honda and left the scene.”
Investigators processing the crime scene said they recovered five 9 mm shell casings and three live 9 mm rounds from the area.
License plate readers monitoring the park entrance showed that Young arrived at about 12:11 p.m. with the white Honda CRV following “within a few seconds.”
A witness at the scene was able to get a photograph of the CRV’s license plate during the shooting which authorities said matched the vehicle that followed Young into the parking lot.
Several of the victim’s family members arrived at the scene shortly after police and advised investigators that Young had recently broken up with her boyfriend, whom they identified as Hopper.
A BOLO (be on the lookout) was issued for the Honda CRV to multiple law enforcement agencies. The vehicle was located and pursued by officers with the Mason, Tennessee, Police Department and deputies with the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office. During the pursuit, the vehicle crashed in Dyer County and the driver, whom authorities identified as Hopper, was taken into custody.
Authorities said that a 9 mm handgun was recovered from the scene of the crash.
Hopper was booked into the downtown Shelby County Jail where he is currently being held without bond. He appeared in court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to murder, court records reviewed by Law&Crime show. Hopper is currently scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday for a bond review hearing.
The sheriff’s office said that additional charges against Hopper may be forthcoming.
A GoFundMe page to help with Young’s funeral and memorial costs can be found here.
“A beautiful soul inside and out, Ellie dedicated her life towards serving others, and was well on her way to becoming an incredible physician,” the page states. “She was walking sunshine, and the world is now a darker place without her.”
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