A popular majorette in high school and a straight-A honor student, 15-year-old Hadiyah Pendleton performed with her marching band at this year’s inauguration festivities for President Barack Obama in Washington.
A few days later, she was found shot to death in a park near the Chicago home of the President. According to the Huffington Post, Pendleton and a group of friends took cover during a rainstorm underneath a canopy at the park.
Police stated that a young man hopped the fence, ran towards the group of girls and opened fire with a gun. He then ran into a waiting car. Pendleton was struck in the back and died. Two others of the group were injured.
Police also say she was not the target, but caught in the middle of a gang war. She just so happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Pendleton’s death was the 42nd murder in the month of January in Chicago. It’s pretty obvious that the gun violence in Chicago is out of control.
Pendleton’s death hit national news instantly and concerned the family of President Barack Obama. Michelle Obama attended the teen’s funeral and also let the girl’s parents sit with her during the President’s State of the Union address.
President Barack Obama plans to visit the park where the teen was slain and speak out on gun violence. Friends, family and people who didn’t even know Pendleton marched through the streets of the South Side neighborhood on February 4, pleading for peace.
It’s sad to me that young innocent teens are being killed by handguns. Pendleton is not the only teen who had to suffer through this. There are many others as well, and in order for this to stop, people have to unite and come together to end this outrageous gun violence.
Wednesday, June 25, 2025