Washingtonville High School students are trying to cope with the loss of a teen who died Monday in a rifle accident at a friend's house.

Blooming Grove police Chief Carl Schupp said Daniel Morgan, 14, was at the Blooming Grove house when his 16-year-old friend fell against a wall, causing a loaded rifle to also fall. The rifle discharged, hitting Morgan in the abdomen.

"It underscores the importance of not leaving a firearm loaded in the home," Schupp said. According to Schupp, the 16-year-old kept the weapon loaded to deal with a coyote that he believed had been killing area pets.

Grief counselors spent Tuesday at the school speaking with anyone who needed help dealing with the loss."I'm gonna miss him. He was pretty energetic," said friend Brandon Panensky. "He was like mostly a comedian. So, he liked to have people laugh."

Morgan, who would have turned 15 this August, was looking forward to going to junior ROTC camp this summer. He had just completed his freshman year at Washingtonville High.