Tyshaun McClurge, of South Holland, was found shot to death Saturday night, according to police.
McClurge is the second teen to lose his life to gunfire in Calumet City in the span of just one week.
"It's very hard for us right now," his aunt Pamela McClurge said.
Police are still talking to witnesses and trying to piece together what happened but it looks like it looks like it may have been an accident.
"He was an awesome kid," Pamela McClurge said. "If you knew him you had no choice but to love him."
The family is devastated and has been left with few, if any, answers.
How did Tyshaun McClurge end up dead, in a friend's Calumet City apartment? Why have they not been allowed to see his body? And why did they have to find out the way they did?
"It was very devastating the way we found out about it. We found out about it through Facebook," Pamela McClurge said.
Police say that Tyshaun McClurge may have shot himself accidentally but those who knew him find that hard to believe.
"When it came down to it he was going to handle his business the right way, not the wrong way, which is why I can't believe it. It's not like him to be in the wrong situation," his cousin Jermaine Hughes said.
It was just after 9:00 p.m. when they were called to an apartment at 77 Oglesby in Calumet City. Inside a second-floor bedroom was a fatally wounded Tyshaun McClurge.
Preliminary reports appear to indicate that the gun's clip had been removed but there was a bullet inadvertently left inside the chamber and when it went off, it killed McClurge.
Police spent several hours Sunday questioning those who were with him at the time, including Patrick Spraggins Sr.'s son.
"Tyshaun is a good friend of his. They were together yesterday. I knew that because I was going to pick up my son today, bring him home. This is a sad situation what happened," he said.
A senior at Chicago's Urban Prep High School, McClurge played football and generally stayed out of trouble.
Dolton Bears Athletic Director Jerry Jones coached him for several years when he was younger.
"He was slight in build so sometimes things were hard for him, but he never stopped trying. Our program has a slogan that says don't stop don't quit and he was the epitome of that," Jones said.
