(MCT) — CHICAGO — With outrage over Hadiya Pendleton’s slaying spreading from City Hall to the White House, the 15-year-old became a symbol Wednesday of escalating violence in Chicago while fueling the national debate over guns and crime.

A little more than a week after performing with the King College Prep band in Washington during President Barack Obama’s inauguration, Hadiya was fatally shot Tuesday afternoon in a park about a mile north of Obama’s home in the Kenwood section of Chicago. Two other teens were wounded.