Elijah Sims had just started his senior year of high school when the 16-year-old became one of the latest victims of Chicago’s gun violence.
Sims was fatally shot while visiting his old neighborhood in Chicago on the city’s West Side.
The shooting happened around 10 p.m. Monday in the 5500 block of West Quincy as Sims stood on a street corner with a 15-year-old boy. Police say someone opened fire on the pair and Sims was shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.
The other teen was shot in the back but is expected to recover.
Sims had just started his senior year at Oak Park River Forest High School.
The school’s principal, Nathaniel Rouse, sent a letter to parents and students Tuesday informing them of Sims’ death.
“It is with a heavy heart that I write this message to you,” the letter read. “We have been made aware of a shooting that took place last evening involving one of our students. We have now confirmed that the student involved in the shooting has passed away.”
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Classmates said Sims was “always helpful” and was a funny teen who was admire by many.
His family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.
The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
