A 21-year-old man has been charged in the shooting death of a Chicago teen who was killed Feb. 15, just hours after her little sister attended President Obama's speech on gun violence.
In the wake of Janay McFarlane's shooting death, authorities say Jim McPherson is charged with murder, armed violence, unlawful use of a weapon and possession of a controlled substance, according to the Chicago Tribune.
McPherson's bond was set at $3 million Wednesday, according to ABC Chicago.
Community members gave police information that led to the questioning of not just McPherson, but a second person as well, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
McFarlane, 18, was shot once in the head around 11:30 p.m. Friday as she was leaving a store in North Chicago; the new mom to a three-month-old boy was visting friends and family in the nearby suburb.
Police said two men followed McFarlane and her friends out of a store when one fired nine rounds — the shooter missed his target but struck McFarlane. NBC Chicago reports police said the teen had asked a pair of male friends to accompany her to the store since she didn't feel safe walking alone.
At the North Chicago City Council meeting on Monday, Mayor Leon Rockingham tried to assure McFarland's family they would have justice while also turning attention to gun control.
"We're doing everything we can to bring these people to justice," Rockingham said according to Fox Chicago. "This was a senseless, brutal murder and one more proof that legislation has to be passed to get guns off the street."
It was a sad twist of irony that the teen was gunned down shortly after her 14-year-old sister, Destini, sat on stage with President Barack Obama as he as he talked about curbing gun violence during a stop at Hyde Park Career Academy.
Angela Blakely, McFarlane's mother, told the Sun-Times her daughter was deeply affected by the shooting death of another Chicago teen: Hadiya Pendleton.
“She always said after Hadiya Pendleton got killed, ‘Momma that’s so sad,’” Blakely told the paper. “She was always touched by any kid that got killed. She was always touched by mothers who couldn’t be there for their babies because they were gone.”
Meanwhile, McFarlane's funeral has been set for noon on Friday, the Tribune reports.
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