British ex-girlfriend of US soccer star fights for life after hit-and-run during shootout in St Louis
12 March 2024, 08:15 | Updated: 12 March 2024, 08:35
The ex-girlfriend of an American soccer star has been left fighting for life after being caught up in the crossfire of a shootout on the streets of St Louis.
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Brit Ellie Bentley, 22, who moved to the US last year with footballer Indiana Vassilev, was hit by a car when shooting broke out. The vehicle dragged her down the road for two blocks.
She suffered multiple broken bones and was in intensive care for two weeks before she was released on Saturday.
She has undergone multiple reconstructive surgeries.
“She was pretty sure she was going to die as she was dragged underneath the vehicle,” her attorney Ben Tobin told the Sun.
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“For the entire time, she was lying there trying to hold on and do whatever she could so she didn't end up getting kicked out under the wheel.”
Police say a 35-year-old man opened fire, injuring a 25-year-old man who was rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds.
It is thought the violence broke out when a group had been attempting to get into the wrong car.
Bentley was hit by another vehicle not linked to the shooting - being driven by a 25-year-old man who fled when the gunfire started.
The shooting suspect remains at large.
Bentley, from Bingham, east of Nottingham, moved to Missouri last year when Vassilev, 23, joined MLS side St. Louis FC.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for her mounting medical costs.
