Boyfriend charged in fatal shooting of 17-year-old girl in Des Plaines

A teenage boy has been charged with accidentally killing his 17-year-old girlfriend by shooting her in the head Saturday night in northwest suburban Des Plaines.

The 17-year-old boy has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office. His name was not released because he is charged as a juvenile.

The boy was with his girlfriend, 17-year-old Angelique “Angie” Morris, at his home at the Heritage Village Pointe Apartments in the 9900 block of Linda Lane in unincorporated Des Plaines, authorities said.

He was handling the gun when it discharged about 1 a.m., firing a single bullet that struck Morris in the head, authorities said.

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. An autopsy Sunday ruled her death a homicide.

Family and friends conducted a memorial vigil at the scene of the shooting on Sunday night.

In a statement sent out to Glenbrook South parents in a letter, Principal Lauren Fagel wrote: “It is with great sadness that I share this news. Angie Morris, upcoming senior, passed away early Saturday morning. Angie was a sweet, caring, and determined young woman who was looking forward to graduating in January 2018 to pursue a career in early childhood education.”

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.”

“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 pageto offset costs of a memorial service, had raised over $9,000 toward a goal of $25,000 as of Wednesday morning.