Murder of Hadiya Pendleton

Murder of Hadiya Pendleton
Vivian Gordon Harsh Park
DateJanuary 29, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-01-29)
LocationKenwood, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Coordinates41°48′51″N 87°35′44″W / 41.81405°N 87.59556°W / 41.81405; -87.59556
CauseMistaken Gang Rivalry
OutcomeDeath of Hadiya Pendleton
Deaths1 (Hadiya Pendleton)
Non-fatal injuries2
SuspectsMichael Ward, Kenneth Williams
ChargesFirst degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm

The murder of Hadiya Pendleton occurred on January 29, 2013. Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl from Chicago, Illinois, was shot in the back and killed while standing with friends inside Harsh Park in Kenwood, Chicago after taking her final exams.[1] As a student at King College Prep High School, she was killed only one week after performing at events for President Barack Obama’s second inauguration. First Lady Michelle Obama attended the funeral for Pendleton in Chicago.[2]

President Obama mentioned Pendleton's death in his 2013 State of the Union Address in Congress, where Pendleton's parents, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton and Nathaniel A. Pendleton Sr., attended as guests.[3] The crime scene is "just a mile away from [President Obama's] Chicago house".[4]

Pendleton's mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, went onstage but did not speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[5]

  1. ^ Don Babwin (January 31, 2013). "Hadiya Pendleton Dead: Chicago Teen Who Performed At Inaugural Events Fatally Shot". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013.
  2. ^ Gary Younge (February 9, 2013). "Michelle Obama attending Chicago funeral of Hadiya Pendelton". Guardian. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  3. ^ Parsons, Christi (February 11, 2013). "Hadiya Pendleton's parents to attend State of the Union address". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  4. ^ "Pain Is 'Indescribable' For Gun Victim Pendleton's Mother". NPR. February 14, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  5. ^ "Chicago mothers who lost children ask DNC for police reform, gun control". Chicago Tribune. July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2016.