COLLIN COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – Students attending Allen High School are without one of their classmates after a 16-year-old was shot and killed at a party over the weekend.

Friends and family of Marquel Ellis Jr. are trying to make sense of the sophomore’s death. Ellis also played on both the Varsity and JV Eagles football teams.

Head Football Coach Terry Gambill tells CBS 11 News, Ellis a great kid, who loved sports, and got along with everybody.

The shooting happened at a house party in Plano Saturday night. Police say it was around 10 p.m. when several people were kicked out of the party on Peachtree Lane.

Witnesses say those people then fired shots back into the home. Ellis was hit and later died from his injuries at a local hospital.

Neighbor Renee McMenamy, who lives on the street where the shooting happened, says she heard at least nine gunshots. “Before I walked down here, I could hear a girl saying to the boy, ‘Baby please just breathe. Just breathe’. And my heart just broke.”

Several neighbors said the home where the shooting happened had been listed on short-term rental sites for the last couple of years.

CBS 11 was unable to reach the homeowner, but Plano police are hoping to have more information on their investigation later this morning.

Counselors will be on hand at Allen High School to meet with students, faculty and staff who are grieving.