A man accused of the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend during a public event at Shelby Farms Park last year has now been indicted by a grand jury. As reported by WREG, Jackson Hopper, 27, faces a first-degree murder charge after allegedly killing Ellie Young, a medical student, at a Breast Cancer walk in October 2024. Witnesses described seeing shots fired from a white Honda CR-V at Young's Jeep, followed by further gunfire as she attempted to escape.
After the shooting, Young, who was a student at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis, did not survive her injuries. The incident spurred a regional manhunt, resulting in Hopper leading multiple law enforcement agencies on a chase that continued through three counties. The pursuit ended with a maneuver by police that caused Hopper's vehicle to crash on Highway 51, at which point he was apprehended. The handling of his arrest has led to further indictments, as six officers now face charges ranging from official misconduct to tampering with evidence, due to their conduct during the arrest.
Hopper, who reportedly also attempted to run over officers during the chase, is being held without bail at 201 Poplar, as per FOX 13 Memphis.
Records show that additional charges against Hopper, relating to the high-speed chase, are pending in both Tipton and Dyer County, as noted in an Action News 5 report. Nevertheless, according to Hopper’s attorney Leslie Ballin said that the charges in Tipton and Dyer counties will not be filed until the Shelby County case is resolved. Current attention remains fixed on the Shelby County proceedings, where Hopper awaits trial for the alleged premeditated killing of Ellie Young.
