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Michelle Obama to attend funeral of slain Chicago teen

By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com
Hadiya Pendleton.
Hadiya Pendleton.

First lady Michelle Obama will travel to Chicago this weekend to attend the funeral of slain teen Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old girl who performed in the Inaugural Parade just days before she was gunned down.

According to a White House official, who spoke on the condition on anonymity because the information had not yet been made public, the first lady would travel with senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, both native Chicagoans to the funeral set to take place Sunday.

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Pendleton was an honor student at King College Prep and marched as a band majorette in the inaugural parade in Washington on January 21. She was shot to death January 29, about a mile from the Obamas' home in the Kenwood neighborhood of South Chicago, the Chicago Tribune reported. Officials say the gunman jumped over a fence into the park where Pendleton and some school friends had gathered, opened fire and then fled in a vehicle from the scene.

Police believe the shooting was gang related, but Pendleton was not the target, nor was she in a gang.

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No arrests have been made, but police are offering a reward of $40,000 for information.

Pendleton's killing was the 42nd homicide to occur in Chicago in 2013--already outpacing last year, which saw more than 500.

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