CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago police say the reward is now $24,000 in the shooting death of a 15-year-old girl who performed at events for President Barack Obama's inauguration.

Chicago police said Thursday that the money is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people responsible for the death of Hadiya Pendleton. She died Tuesday at a park about a mile from Obama's Chicago home. Police say a gunman opened fire on Hadiya and her group, thinking they were rival gang members. But authorities say that wasn't the case.

The amount of the reward has increased. On Wednesday it was $11,000.
Copyright © 2013 Associated Press

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Story by 89 WLS reporter Bill Cameron
Four years before she was murdered, Hadiya Pendleton appeared in an anti-gang video.

The now-martyred teenager says in the anti-gang public service video "So many children out there are in gangs and it's your job as students to say no to gangs and yes to a great future."

The heartbroken local Alderman Pat Dowell said, "May her message hold more sway now. Unfortunately, this incident had to bring that to the forefront."

Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says they're getting a lot of tips and co-operation from the community about the Pendelton case. The mayor said again today, you're not a snitch, but rather a citizen to offer co-operation.

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Story by 89 WLS reporter Bill Cameron
Mayor Emanuel has repeatedly denied Chicago needs more cops, but at the mayor's press conference even Emanuel, perhaps inadvertently, admitted Chicago needs more police.

Maybe it was a Freudian slip, but at one point in his news conference announcing 200 more cops reassigned to the street, the mayor does say we need more police, "We have applied more police officers, totaling now 770, what used to do administrative desk jobs are now on the street."

Mayor Emanuel continues, "You couldn't get to the results we got on burglary coming down 15%, motor vehicle theft coming down 13%, criminal sexual assault down 8%, robbery down 4% if we didn't apply our resources different. This is building on that strategy. That's one. So do you need more police? Yes. But you also need more police on the street. Yes, you need kids, guns and drugs off the street."

And so what you've got there is even the mayor saying we need more police.

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Story by 89 WLS reporter Bill Cameron
Mayor Emanuel says he's re-assigning more cops to the streets.

Mayor Emanuel says he's found 200 more cops at desks who will be reassigned to the streets, "To do what I think is a key component, which is to reduce gun violence and gang activity, before a flame becomes a fire. To put it out."

LISTEN: MAYOR EMANUEL SAYS HE'S RE-ASSIGNING MORE COPS TO THE STREETS

Plus Emanuel called on the next U.S. Attorney to do more in this arena. He called on Hollywood to ask itself what example it is setting.

But the mayor declined to join the call for President Obama to come to the funeral of Hadiya Pendelton.

That, of course, would call much more national attention to Emanuel's murder problem.
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CHICAGO (AP) - Officials are stepping up their fight against gun violence in the wake of several shootings, with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announcing that 200 more officers will soon hit the streets and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart proposing tougher gun laws.

Emanuel and Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy on Thursday said the officers will be redeployed from administrative positions. That comes two days after a 15-year-old girl became the latest of more than 40 Chicago homicide victims in January,

Dart wants to beef up enforcement of the state's Firearm Owner's Identification system and expand the reporting of those who are prohibited from possessing firearms.

In recent weeks, Emanuel and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle have proposed new laws to crack down on those who don't report stolen, lost or sold guns.
Copyright © 2013 Associated Press