Chicago Teen Shot to Death After Sister Attended Obama's Gun Speech

AP
Alexander Abad-Santos 6,552 Views Feb 18, 2013

Hours before Janay Mcfarlane was shot and killed on Friday, her 14-year-old sister was standing behind President Obama during his speech about gun violence and stricter gun legislation. It's depressingly similar to the story Hadiya Pendleton, a Chicago teen who was gunned down days after performing at Obama's inauguration, and who was honored during Friday's speech.

"Janay Mcfarlane was shot once in the head around 11:30 p.m. Friday in North Chicago," reported the AP which adds that McFarlane's mother said the bullet that killed Mcfarlane was meant for a friend. Mcfarlane's 14-year-old sister is a student at Hyde Park Career Academy and on Friday sat right behind Obama when he paid tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student who was shot and killed in Chicago days after performing at Obama's inauguration. Here's what he said on Friday:

Unfortunately what happened to Hadiya is not unique. It's not unique to Chicago. It's not unique to this country. Too many of our children are being taken away from us.

At the time, Obama's statement was more general observation than foresight, but with McFarlane's death, that statement now has a sad luster and sharp truth about it. "An 18-year-old man and a 20-year-old man are considered persons of interest in the homicide investigation and are being questioned by North Chicago police and officials from the Lake County State's Attorney's Office in connection with the death," reports The Chicago Tribune's Carlos Sadovi.

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