Students at Washington High School in South Bend had a somber start to the week. Sunday night, their 18-year-old classmate, Chris Simril, was killed in a shooting.

Around 6:30 p.m. Sunday, police got a call for shots fired and a man down at Walker Field Park in the 1300 block of West Ewing.

When they arrived, they found Simril lying on the ground next to a golden Grand Prix with several gunshot wounds to his body. He was unresponsive and immediately transported to a South Bend hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy Monday revealed he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

News of Simril’s death came as a shock to many of his classmates, who say he was a model student.

“There was nothing bad about him,” said Washington senior Morgan Montana. “He loved to do his work. He would help all of us do ours. And he wanted all of us to do the best because that’s what he did.”

Simril was active in the school band and football team. He was a member of the Upward Bound program and a co-founder of Washington’s Medical Magnet program. Many of his fellow students looked up to him.

“Every time you seen him, he made you smile,” said Washington senior Alfonso Mac. “Because he was always so happy, he was always positive, always encouraging people.”

The absence of that bubbly personality was noticeable in the senior class hallway Monday, which is usually booming with conversation.

“It was quiet,” Mac said. “Those people who knew about it they knew something was wrong. Even if you didn't know you could just tell. You walk down the hall everyone's crying. It was just silent.”

Simril’s friends say they don’t know why anyone would target him. They think it was a case of being in the wrong place at the right time.

And as they struggle to grasp the reality of their friend being taken from them, they hope police will find the people responsible.

“I hope they find who did it because he didn’t deserve it at all,” Montana said.

On Monday night, fellow classmates held a vigil at the Grotto on Notre Dame's campus.

Friends came out to show their support and how much Chris meant to them.

Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers at 288-STOP or Metro Homicide at 235-5009.