Hours after her sister sat behind President Obama during his speech in Chicago on Friday, 18-year-old Janay McFarlane was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is; not three weeks ago, 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was killed by stray gunfire in Chicago, just days after performing at Obama’s second inauguration. MacFarlane’s 14-year old sister Destiny is a student at Hyde Park Career Academy, the school Obama visited on Friday to speak about Chicago’s gun violence.
In addition to being a new mother (her son Jayden is just three months old), MacFarlene was supposed to graduate from high school this spring. After graduating, her mother, Angela Blakely, said she’d shown interest in becoming a chef.
“I’m just really, truly just trying to process it, knowing that I’m not taking my baby home any more,” Blakely said.
Obama’s speech emphasized the need for tighter gun controls while highlighting Chicago’s epidemic of gun violence.
“Last year, there were 443 murders with a firearm in this city, and 65 of them were 18 and under. That’s the equivalent of a Newtown every four months.
“That’s precisely why the overwhelming majority of Americans are asking for some common sense proposals to make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun,” he said.
The president also mentioned Pendleton, the 15-year-old gunned down days after performing at his inauguration, during his speech. Blakely, McFarlane’s mother, said her daughter often spoke about Pendleton as well.
“She said ‘Mom, that’s so sad. I feel so bad for that little girl,’ ” Angela Blakely told CBS Chicago. “Every time she saw kids on TV she said, ‘Momma, I feel so bad for these people that gotta leave their kids.’
[Image via AP]