Just a day after First Lady Michelle Obama attended the funeral of 15-year-old shooting victim Hadiya Pendleton, police took two suspects into custody, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Murder charges are pending against the two men, and the charges could come as early as this evening, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy said.
“We will bring this all to closure probably sometime this evening we’re anticipating hopefully that we’ll have charges,” McCarthy said at a news conference Monday.
“We’re still doing lineups. We’re still crossing some t’s and dotting some i’s that we need to do before we can get charges approved for these individuals,” he said.
Hadiya (pictured above center) was shot once in the back as she huddled with friends to wait out the rain in Vivian Gordon Harsh Park on Jan. 29. The shooting took place 2 blocks from the Obamas’ upscale Kenwood home.
Pendleton was an honors student at the nearby King College Prep school. Hadiya and her majorettes bandmates traveled to Washington D.C. to dance for President Barack Obama during his 2nd Inauguration last month.
According to The Tribune, police were questioning 2 suspects, 18 and 20, on Sunday (Feb. 10). The 2 men were pulled over on “East 67th Street and South Chicago Avenue late Saturday night or early Sunday” while police canvassed the neighborhood looking for more clues and witnesses.
City leaders drew up a petition to request President Obama’s presence at the funeral. But he sent the first lady instead.
President Obama plans to travel to Chicago this week, where he served as a junior senator before making his historic run for the White House in 2008.
Obama will reportedly discuss gun violence, as well as meet privately with Hadiya’s parents, Nathaniel and Cleopatra Pendleton.
“If he decided to speak with us, we’ll be more than happy,” said Nathaniel Pendleton.
Michelle Obama didn’t speak publicly at the funeral, but she did meet with a large group of Hadiya’s friends at the church. She also met with Hadiya’s parents before the funeral service began.
A handwritten letter from President Obama to the Pendletons was included in the glossy funeral program.
“Her being there is very important since it was her neighborhood,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who also attended the funeral. “I think the president’s coming is important because she did not deal with the politics. … She dealt with the calming concern for a broken-hearted family,” he said.
Hundreds of mourners stood in the freezing rain, waiting to view Hadiya’s body. But the line was cut soon after Mrs. Obama’s limo arrived at a side entrance to the church at 10:45 a.m.
“They’re letting in people and adults who didn’t even know her,” Hadiya’s friend Tammie Spraggins, 15, said through tears. “I can’t even say goodbye to my friend one last time.”
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Photos: Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune
