Angelique "Angie" Morris, 17, was shot about 1 a.m. Saturday at the Heritage Village Pointe Apartments in unincorporated Des Plaines, authorities said.
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Cook County sheriff's police were called to the complex in the 9900 block of Linda Lane and found Morris with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the sheriff's office.
Family and friends conducted a memorial vigil on Sunday night.
Morris, a resident of unincorporated Glenview and a senior at Glenbrook South High School, was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, where she died at 4 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
In a post on Facebook, her aunt Sheila Blaje wrote that Morris was known for the "love and kindness you shared with others ... always making us laugh with your silliness ... a smile that could warm our hearts."
In a post on a GoFundMe page set up to help the family with funeral expenses, Morris' sister Katie Mason said she was "accidentally shot in the head, the bullet hit her on the eyebrow and went through her head," causing her to "bleed to death."
An autopsy Sunday found Morris died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner's office. Her death was ruled a homicide.
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"Angie was only 17 years old and was looking forward to graduate in January and still walk down the stage with her class," Mason wrote. "She wanted to pursue her dream in becoming a special ed teacher."
The GoFundMe page to offset costs of a memorial service, had raised over $7,600 toward a goal of $25,000 in its first day.
No one was in custody as of Monday morning as county police continue to investigate.
Morris had texted her new cell phone number to her sister, Kattlin Humphrey, just a few hours before she was killed. Later that night, Humphrey got a devastating call.
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"My brother called me on the phone saying she got shot in the head and I needed to go the hospital with my mom," Humphrey said.
Family members said Morris was in a basement apartment with a friend when she was shot.
"She was very outgoing. She was dedicated to school. She wanted to be a teacher for special education," said Humphrey.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.