2 questioned in death of Hadiya Pendleton

Category: RTM News Reel Published on Monday, 11 February 2013 08:38 Written by Katherine Wojtecki and Greg Botelho, CNN

Chicago (CNN) -- A day after 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was laid to rest -- and 11 days after she was shot to death on the streets of Chicago -- police are questioning two people in relation to her slaying, a police spokeswoman said.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called Hadiya's family on Sunday morning to tell them about the development in the investigation, said Chicago police spokeswoman Melissa Stratton.

No one has been arrested or charged yet in Hadiya's death, which occurred a week after she performed at President Barack Obama's second inauguration.

She was an honor student and band majorette at King College Prep School when a man shot her at a park in what her godfather, Damon Stuart, described as an "ideal community" on Chicago's South Side.

Police have told CNN affiliates that the teenager had no gang affiliation and likely was not the intended target.

Hadiya's performance at last month's inauguration and her death coming as the gun control debate brewed in Washington made her slaying a national story. She also was a standout student who urged friends to stay away from gangs.

The killing -- which occurred in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood near the Obamas' Chicago home -- drew the first couple's attention. First lady Michelle Obama attended Hadiya's funeral Saturday, and her husband wrote a note to Hadiya's family that was printed on the funeral program: "We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence."

Her slaying -- the 42nd in the city this year -- also highlighted the problem of gun violence in Chicago. More than 500 people were fatally shot in 2012.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/10/justice/illinois-chicago-killing/index.html?hpt=hp_t4