First lady to attend slain girl's funeral in Chicago

Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY | USATODAY

WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama will travel to Chicago on Saturday to attend the funeral of a 15-year-old student who was gunned down in President Obama's adopted hometown days after she performed at his inauguration, an administration official has confirmed.

The first lady will be joined by White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the former Chicago Public Schools superintendent. The administration official spoke on the condition of anonymity, because the White House has not yet officially announced the trip.

Hadiya Pendleton performed at the inauguration with her high school band and drill team on Jan. 21. She was shot in the back on Jan. 29 as she and other King College Prep students took shelter from a driving rain under a canopy in Vivian Gordon Harsh Park on the South Side.

Civil rights leaders in the city, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, have called on Obama to return to Chicago to attend Pendleton's funeral and address the scourge of gun violence in the city, which topped 500 murders in 2012.

Jackson told USA TODAY on Wednesday that Pendleton's death "epitomizes this crisis" facing Chicago and that the president's appearance could help foster a larger conversation about the problem of gun violence in America's cities.