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Teenager Who Performed At Obama’s Inauguration CeremonyIs The Latest Victim Of Chicago Gun Violence

By Adam Peck on Jan 30, 2013 at 10:20 am
Hadiya Pendleton, 15 years old, was killedin Chicago on Tuesday.

Less than two weeks ago, HadiyaPendleton was leading her classmates in the King College Prep School MarchingBand down Pennsylvania Avenue on the afternoon of President Obama’s secondinauguration. It would be an opportunity of a lifetime for any 15 year old, butfor Pendleton, it was her last. On Tuesday, she was gunned down in a park a fewblocks from school on the South Side of Chicago, less than a mile from thefirst family’s home.According to the Chicago Tribune, Pendleton and anotherclassmate, a 16 year old boy, were both caught in the middle of a gang war. Theboy was still in serious condition on Tuesday evening, but Pendleton did notsurvive:Friends of the slain girl said King was dismissed early todaybecause of exams, and students went to the park on Oakenwald–something theydon’t usually do.Friends said the girl was a majorette and a volleyball player, afriendly and sweet presence at King, one of the top 10 CPS selective enrollmentschools. Pendleton performed with otherKing College students at President Barack Obama’s inaugural events.In the last year, Chicago has endured a surge of gun-relatedmurders, more than quadruple thenumber of homicides in New York City and58 percent more than the number of U.S. soldiers shotand killed in Afghanistan. During the recent debate over gun control, MayorRahm Emmanuel has sought to place his city at the front of the push for reform,instructing the city’s pension funds to divest fromany gun manufacturer and supporting more gun buyback programs.