First Lady Invites Pendleton's Mother To SOTU

First Lady Michelle Obama has invited the mother of 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton to be her guest at Tuesday night's State of the Union, White House aides told NBC News Monday.

Cleopatra Pendleton will attend the speech after she and her husband make an appearance at Sen. Dick Durbin's Washington, D.C., hearing Tuesday on gun safety.

The first lady traveled to Chicago Saturday to attend Pendleton's funeral. She reportedly met privately with family before services began, offering encouragement and telling them to "hang on" and "stay strong."

Pendleton was killed two weeks ago at Kenwood Park on the city's South Side, days after she performed at some of President Barack Obama's recent inauguration festivities. She was shot to death blocks from her school and about a mile from the president's and first lady's Chicago home.

The White House announced Sunday President Barack Obama will visit Chicago on Friday to talk about gun violence and the economy. He reportedly sent a letter to the girl's family saying that he would work as hard as possible to "end this senseless violence."

The reward for information leading to Pendleton's killer last stood at $40,000.

Chicago Police said Sunday they arrested two suspects who are being questioned in Pendleton's death. The suspects were pulled over early Sunday around 67th Street and South Chicago Avenue after detectives canvassed the area around Harsh Park, police said.

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