CHICAGO (AP) — The family of a Chicago girl whose murder drew attention to the city’s gun violence says her funeral service will focus on the 15-year-old honor student, not politics.
First lady Michelle Obama will be among the dignitaries at Hadiya (huh-DYE’-yuh) Pendleton’s funeral Saturday on Chicago’s South Side. Gov. Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel also are expected to attend.
Pendleton was shot Jan. 29 while talking with friends in a park about a mile from President Barack Obama’s Chicago home. Police say Pendleton was an innocent victim in a case of mistaken identity involving gangs.
Pendleton was a majorette who performed at an event for Obama’s inauguration about a week earlier.
Her death occurred during the city’s deadliest January in a decade. In 2012, Chicago recorded 506 homicides.
