Hadiya Pendleton

A Chicago native teen was shot and killed outside while standing with friends at Harsh Park after taking her exam.

By Gladys W. MuturiPublished 2 years ago • 5 min read

Hadiya Pendleton

Hadiya Pendleton was a bright teenager. She was an honor roll student and had performed at President Obama Inauguration festives until she was gunned down at her hometown of Chicago by becoming a national symbol of gun violence.

Hadiya Pendleton was born on June 2, 1997 in Chicago, Illinois to her parents Cleopatra and Nathaniel Pendleton Sr.

Cleopatra (Hadiya’s mother), Hadiya, and Nathaniel Pendleton Jr. (Hadiya’s brother)

According to families and friends, she was described as funny, family oriented, loving and a outgoing young lady. When she was in middle school, she and her classmates made an anti-gang psa video to promote against gang violence.

Young Hadiya in 2008 in a anti-gang violence

I have tried to find the video unfortunately I couldn’t find it I believe it has been deleted but I have found the quote that she said on the video.

Pendleton on 2008 video:

“So many children out there are in gangs, and it is your job as students to say no to gangs and yes to a great future.”

The video was produced by Digital Youth Network, which offers after-school and in-class opportunities for students to create positive messages while learning media production skills. Pendleton was student at the Elite Kings College prep school, she was in the volleyball team and a majorette in the school's marching band, performed with her classmates at several inauguration events last week in Washington. She dreamed of going to Northwestern University and talked about becoming a pharmacist, a journalist, or maybe a lawyer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

January 29, 2013

A week after she performed in the Inauguration festivities.

Pendleton was on her way to school to take her final exams. After she was done with her final exams, she and her friends: Danetria Hutson, Klyn Jones, and Kyra Caldwell were on their way to head to the Vivan Gordon Harsh park.

The girls were hanging out there until a mysterious car shows up creeping at them.Kyln glances toward the alley and sees a man hop over a metal fence. He holds a gun. She screamed “Guys! We’ve got to run!” Shots fired at them. The girls began to scurry out the park. Gun shots at them until Pendleton was shot in the back."I think I got shot!" Hadiya cried, as Klyn, running, turned to look over her shoulder, making sure her friend was there. "No!" Klyn said. "Stop joking. This isn't funny. Just get up. C'mon. We've got to go."Pendleton got up, clutching her stomach, and fell again. “You're going to be fine," Klyn said, holding Hadiya's right hand while Danetria cradled Hadiya's head. Several other friends huddled nearby. "I'm going to burn you all the 'Twilight' movies on DVD so you can watch them in the hospital while you're recovering." One of her friends called her mom and The others contacted 911. When the paramedics came and carried Hadiya away on a stretcher, her friends called after her, "We love you, we love you, we love you." But promise was never made. Pendleton died at the hospital.

She was 15.

She was the 42nd gun death victim in Chicago that year. Police were offering an $11,000 reward for information that would lead to the capture and conviction of the man who killed Hadiya.

Until Two men, Michael Ward, 18, and Kenneth Williams, 20, were arrested and indicted with multiple counts of first degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated discharge of a weapon.

Michael Ward,18 (right) and Kenneth Williams,20 (left)

Michael and Kenneth had no idea it was Hadiya and her friends, they actually thought it was rival gang. Even though neither Hadiya or her friends have ever been involved in gangs and were actually were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the time of the shooting, Ward, the gunman, was on probation. In January 2012, he pleaded guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and was sentenced to two years of probation. Less than three months later, he was arrested and charged with breaking into a car. In July 2012, he was arrested for breaking into a different vehicle. In November 2012, he was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing. During his youth, he had also been arrested numerous times on charges ranging from robbery to battery to marijuana possession, and had spent time on juvenile probation. Ward and Williams were found guilty for first-degree murder, attempted murder, and aggravated battery with a firearm. Ward was sentenced to 84 years in prison and Williams was sentenced

Former First Lady Michelle Obama was in attendance at her funeral showing respect and condolences to her family. Obama addressed the shooting during his State of the Union address in 2013, citing it as a reason he was pushing for stronger gun control laws. Meanwhile, Williams's sentencing comes the day after Senator Kristen Gillibrand and Democratic mayoral candidate Eric Adams re-introduced the Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking & Crime Prevention Act, which will make gun trafficking across state lines a federal crime. It failed to pass when it was first introduced in 2013. In addition to commemorating Pendleton, the bill's name also references Nyasia Pryear-Yard, a teenager who was killed by gunfire in 2009 when a gang dispute broke out at an event she attended in Brooklyn. Rapper Lupe Fiasco made a song called “Jonylah Forever” honoring Hadiya. The song was featured on his album Drogas Wave.

Hadiya’s parents have been activists on gun violence and have shown up to events to stories about Hadiya and raising gun violence awareness.