AUBURN GRESHAM -- An 18-year-old new mother was fatally shot in suburban North Chicago Friday night, just hours after her sister attended President Barack Obama's speech on gun violence, according to CBS Chicago.
Janay McFarlane, 18, of the 8900 block of South Lowe Avenue, had been a student at Hyde Park Academy, the school where President Obama visited Friday to speak, in part, about Chicago's gun violence.
McFarlane left Hyde Park Academy last year for an alternative school after becoming pregnant. Her sister, Destini, still attends Hyde Park Academy and attended the president's Friday afternoon speech, according to CBS Chicago.
McFarlane became pregnant about a year ago and switched to an alternative school, according to her childhood friend Ashley Woodard.
Longtime family friend Tony Parker, 50, said he couldn’t believe McFarlane was gone.
“I was just with her yesterday, seeing the little baby she had for the first time,” Parker said Saturday. “I was with her in the morning, and then I got the call last night.”
Parker described McFarlane as joyful and outgoing: “She was just a sweet person.”
“It’s just wild to me, man,” Parker said.
The president's speech including mourning Hadiya Pendleton, a young woman who has become the face of Chicago violence since being gunned down Jan. 29, just days after performing at President Obama's inauguration festivities as a King College Prep majorette.
Chicago Police are now vowing to wage war on the gang whose members allegedly killed Hadiya while firing into a crowd they thought were rivals. Prosecutors allege two members of the SUWU gang faction killed Hadiya.
McFarlane's mother told CBS that her daughter often spoke of Hadiya and other murder victms.
"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.' "
This story contains corrected information about the location of the shooting.
