Hadiya Pendleton has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Pendleton’s 2013 killing in Chicago drew the attention of then-President
Barack Obama.
As reported by NBC News, Hadiya had just taken her final exams at the King College Prep High School, and was walking home from when she and another classmate took cover from the rain at a nearby park. That’s where prosecutors said,
Micheail Ward, got out of a car driven by
Kenneth Williams and opened fire at who he thought were rival gang members.
Hadiya Pendleton’s parents, Cleopatra Cowley (center) & Nathaniel Pendleton Sr. (left), walk with supporters into the Leighton Criminal Courthouse, where a judge will sentence the man who drove the 15yo girl’s killer away from the park where she was shot more than 8 years ago. pic.twitter.com/RND2Qr2UWL
WASHINGTON (AP) Several people whose lives have been shattered by gun violence will be watching from the packed House gallery as President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union speech.
But not Bill Sherlach, whose wife, Mary, was killed in the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14.
Washington officials fighting over gun control invited him to attend Obama’s speech Tuesday night in the House chamber. Sherlach declined.
He said that rather than be the nationally televised face of tragedy, he prefers working within a group that wants the gun issue addressed as part of a comprehensive effort to reduce violence. He wants to work with Sandy Hook Promise, a group that deals with more than just gun control. Mary Sherlach was the Sandy Hook Elementary School psychologist.
Hadiya Pendleton was killed on Jan. 29, 2013 while standing with a group of friends at Harsh Park in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood. Her death, which took place just nine days after she performed at events during former President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, shocked the nation.
Then-first lady Michelle Obama attended Pendleton’s Chicago funeral, and the former president mentioned her death at his State of the Union address that year, with her parents in attendance.
In 2018, Williams was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection with the case. Michael Ward, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was found guilty the next day. He was sentenced to 84 years in prison.
Teen performer at inaugural events fatally shot
By DON BABWINJanuary 31, 2013 GMT
CHICAGO (AP) A 15-year-old girl who had performed in President Barack Obama’s inauguration festivities is the latest face on the ever-increasing homicide toll in the president’s hometown, killed in a Chicago park as she talked with friends by a gunman who apparently was not even aiming at her.
Chicago police said Hadiya Pendleton was in a park about a mile from Obama’s home in a South Side neighborhood Tuesday afternoon when a man opened fire on the group. Hadiya was shot in the back as she tried to escape.
Getaway driver for man who shot and killed honor roll student is sentenced to 42 years dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.