officials say it was a tragic case of mistaken identity. >> michael ward has confessed and indicated that hadiya was not the intended target. in fact, the offenders had it all wrong. they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. >> first lady michelle obama attended the teen's funeral on saturday. hadiya pendleton's parents will be among the president's special guests at the state of the union address. nbc's tracie potts is live from washington with more. tracie, what else can we expect to hear from the president tonight? >> reporter: well, that, mara, plus immigration and the president hopes to have influence outside the lawmaker to press the lawmakers to get something done. month question, the big issue is money, $85 billion in cuts what we've been calling here in washington, the sequester that kicks in in just a few weeks. the president expected to address that. the white house said he will build on the scene from his inaugural speech. progressive themes, popular themes and focus on jobs and the middle class and the economy and growth. so instead of focus

according to police michael ward was arrested in january for illegal possession of a firearm. he was let go on two months of probation. they say it's the stiffer gun laws they want to be in place here in the state of illinois, were in place, michael ward would have been in jail. and ha dia pendleton would be alive. anderson. >> ted, i appreciate the update. >>> joining us by phone is tyra willis, the first cousin of the victim. i'm sorry for your loss, i'm wondering the family's reaction tonight. >> well, first i want to say thank you for having me on the show, and on behalf of my family, we are elated to know that there is one person or two now off the streets that could very well cause harm to my neighbor, another relative, or anyone in the world. we're excited to know that the police, the chicago police department worked diligently. there is no level of comfort, not long-term comfort. we are still miserable. miserable would only be the term to really acknowledge the feelings of the parents and the family. >> what do you -- >> maybe that's a -- i'm sorry? >> what do you want

michael ward, according to police, has confessed to killing her by accident. he says he approached a group of people he thought also had rival gang members in the group, and opened fire. he didn't realize that he was opening fire on a 15-year-old and her friends after they had just completed a final exam in high school. ward said he got out of a car, shot the individuals under this overhang in a park and was taken away in a getaway car by williams. according to police, nobody stepped forward. the break came from police getting leads, going out and finding witnesses that they will later bring in to trial. they do not have a murder weapon in this case. they also say ward thought he was retaliating in an earlier gang shooting. they caught the suspect who shot williams the year, before. but williams refused to press charges. also, according to police, michael ward was arrested in january of last year for illegal possession of a firearm. he was let go on two months of probation. they say it's the stiffer gun laws they want to be in place here in the state of illino

officials say the shooting was a tragic case of mistaken identity. >> michael ward has confessed and indicated that hadiya was not the intended target. in fact, the offenders had it all wrong. they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. >> first lady michelle obama attended the teen's funeral on saturday. hadiya pendleton's parents will be among the first lady's special guests at this evening's state of the union address. president obama is expected to detail his plans for reducing gun violence. nbc's tracie potts joins us live from washington with more. as we know, it could be one of a dozen things the president brings up. >> reporter: absolutely. including immigration and a number of other things. one of the big things he'll focus on is money. particularly the $85 billion in automatic cuts coming in just a few weeks. tonight instead of focusing on how budget cuts would affect the pentagon, we're told president obama will focus on the middle class. cuts to headstart, research and thousands of government jobs. >> his emphasis on the needs to continue jobs

the accused shooter, shouldn't have even been free. >> reporter: one year ago in january of 2012 michael ward was picked up on a weapons charge and the people in chicago and some people across the state are trying to change the laws in illinois to make the sentencing guidelines higher. ward was given two years' probation and let go immediately. they want a mandatory, minimum mandatory sentence of at least a year. they say if they would have the laws in place that need to be in place to give chicago's law some teeth, then michael ward would not have been on the streets and hadiya pendleton would still be alive. >> ted rowlands reporting live from chicago this morning. >>> hadiya pendleton's mother will be sitting beside mrs. obama at the state of the union. yes, gun violence will be part of the president's speech tonight, bipartisanship, not so much. "the washington post" political tar soon says it all. here it is, you can see the president addressing members of congress "my fellow combatants." in addition, ted nugent will be a guest of republican congressman steve stockman. nugent not exactly

michael ward and kenneth williams were charged with first-degree murder. police say pendleton was talking to friends in the chicago park when once prospect -- one suspect opened fire. the headlines made -- pendleton recently returned from washington where she performed during the inauguration festivities. michelle obama attended her funeral and her parents are scheduled to sit with the first lady during tomorrow night state of the union address. that violence is expected to be a key issue. -- gun violence is expected to be a key issue. >> several other key issues will be front and center when president obama makes his address tomorrow. the economy and the possibility of sequestration are expected to dominate the evening. the federal government faces massive spending cuts march 1. many economists predict those cuts could turn the nation back into recession. you could watch these did of the union address right here on abc 7 beginning at 9:00. gordon peterson will be live at the capitol. >> that is always great for us. a major mass in the district after a tre

>> well, suzanne, we just left the bond area here, michael ward, 18-year-old michael ward and 20-year-old we learned more about the case against them. first off, the judge did not release them on bond. they are on no bond situation. so they will be in custody until their next court appearance. but what we're learning from prosecutors in front of this prosecutor, laid out the case, they say that ward, the 18-year-old, confessed on videotape to them with specifics about circling this park where she and her friends were after school, after they finished their final exams and believing that one of the rival gang members, to their gang, was in this group. he said, according to police, and according to prosecutors, he got out of the car, with a gun, and opened fire into this crowd of people, hitting her in the back once and that would be, of course, a fatal wound to her. the judge listened to prosecutors lay out their case and then didn't take very long to say no bail for either one of these gentlemen. >> michael ward has confessed and indicated that hadiyah was not the intended target. in fact

police say, kenneth williams and michael ward are facing first- degree murder charges. in the killing of 15-year-old hadiya pendleton. the young girl had recently performed during the presidential inauguration ceremonies in washington. pendleton was shot in the back. just miles from president obama's chicago home. president obama will deliver the first state of the union address. of his second term tomorrow. the economy will be the primary focus of the state of the union. the president will talk about job creation, and growing the economy. by investing in education, boosting clean energy production and reducing the deficit. in ways that don't burden seniors, the middle class or the poor gun control is another key element in the speech since the president is expected to continue his push for universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons and a limit on magazines and a reminder, you can watch the president's state of the union address live. on kron 4's 24-7 bay area news channel -- comcast 193. >> a french cardinal says, pope benedict's decision to resign. is a

police have arrested two members in the murder of 15--year-olds hadiya pendleton. 18-year-old michael ward and 20-year-old kenneth williams missed a character friends for members of a rival gang and shot them last month. this was days after the girl performed in the inaugural parade in d.c. parents will join first lady michelle obama as guests for state of the union address tonight. >> diane sawyer has landed the first television interview with amanda knox. she's the "american bandstand" four years in a -- she is the american who spent four years in an italian prison for killing her roommate. d.c. police have identified the man killed in the southeast area of the city over the weekend. 19-year-old james edward dean was shot on sunday. they're looking into what led to the murder. nor arrests have been made. scary moments for passengers on a metrobus in northwest washington after a tree came crashing down on the roof. look at the video. the bus was traveling south on 16th street near spring road monday evening when a 54 tree fell on the back of the bus. there were 30 passengers on board. no

and michael ward, the 18-year-old, according to superintendent gary mcgathery, has confessed that he to shoot at a rival gang. he thought hadiya pendleton was with a member or members of a rival gang in that park when he opened fire. he was of course mistaken. it was hadiya who had just finished final examines and she was with a number of friends from school. he said he got out of a car, walked up, and shot into the crowd of people, and then apparently got away with the help of williams. they were trying to retaliate against a gang who had shot williams the prior year, and in that case, according to the superintendent mccarthy, they actually made an arrest and caught williams' assailant, but he refused to press charges. back to the anti-snitching theme we talked about at the top of the hour. it was pervasive in this case, and one other point they pointed out is that ward, the 18-year-old, was actually arrested for a gun violation, possession of an illegal firearm, in january of 2011. and if the stronger gun laws were on the books, the ones they're pushing for at the state level here

two suspected gang members, 189-year-old michael ward and 20-year-old kenneth williams will be in court this morning. there are their mug shot s righ there. police say ward confessed and said she was not the intended target. just days before pendleton had performed at the president's inauguration, michelle obama appeared at the funeral. tonight her parents will be guests at tonight's state of the europe onaddress. ted rowlands has more. what do we know and how did police find them? >> reporter: well, zoraida, how police found them unfortunately wasn't from a tip from the community. they said they were very disappointed in the fact that despite the fact that this case was on the airwaves every single day for almost two weeks and there was a $40,000 reward, dhad not get that tip from a witness. what happened was they just canvassed the neighborhood and picked up little tidbits and were able to narrow down these two and as you said, they got a partial confession from the 18-year-old. >> and we heard that they mistook one of hadiya's friends for a rival gang member. have we learned whether

one 18-year-old michael ward. the other is 20-year-old kenneth williams. gang members. they told police the shooting of revenge for a gang attack last summer and the chicago honors student was not the intended target. ted rowlands live with more on this story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, soledad. superintendent gary mccarthy here in chicago said he called the parents of hidaya pendleton who are in washington preparing to watch president obama's state of the union address and said the parents were relieved to find out that there has been an arrest and people in chicago and across the country who have been following that were relieved as well. what is really heartbreaking about this case is that this was a clear case of mistaken identity and hadiya pendleton had nothing to do with these two gang members who thought they were on a revenge mission. >> michael ward has confessed and indicated that hadiya was not the intended target. in fact, the offenders had it all wrong. they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. instead, a group o

in the shooting death of hadiya pan pendleton who died days after the inauguration. 18-year-old michael ward and 20-year-old kenneth williams said pendleton was not the intended target. they thought they were firing on a rival gang. pendleton's parents will attend the state of the union address tonight. >>> coming up in the morning news, stranded ship. thousands of passengers on a carnival cruise face deteriorating conditions after their ship becomes disabled. this is the "cbs morning news." maybe today you'll run some errands, maybe another headache will get in the way. if you have migraines with 15 or more headache days a month, you're living a maybe life. and you may have chronic migraine. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. hey! hey honey! hey alan. uh, hey.... i'm bob, we talked at the tax store. i did your taxes. i thout you were a tax expert? today, i'm a master plumber. major tax stores advertise for preparers with "no tax experience necessary." at turbotax, you only get answers from cpas, eas or tax attorneys - all real tax experts

alleged gang members michael ward, 18-- who police say has already confessed-- and kenneth williams, were picked up saturday night and charged on monday. chicago police superintendent gary mccarthy. >> they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. instead, it was a group of upstanding, determined kids like hadiya who were repulsed by the gang lifestyle. hadiya's parents, invited to the state of the union in washington, were relieved. cleopatra cowley is her mother. >> i can't close the book on my child, but i'm very excited that the murderers who hurt my baby have been caught. >> reporter: ward, the alleged trigger man, has a long criminal record. but the police noted that when he pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a firearm about a year ago, he was given probation, and he stayed free despite three subsequent arrests. >> this has to stop. gun offenders have to do significant jail time. >> reporter: tom burns says illinois' gun laws are undermined by a lack of mandatory minimum sentences for gun violations. >> if you get caught with a gun and there's a minimum

police say one of the men michael ward confessed to opening fire on the honor student and her friends after mistaking the group of a member of a rival game. ward and williams make the first appearance in court later today. pendleton's parents will attend the state of the union address. >>> schools across the country are beefing of security measures in the wake of the connecticut school shooting n one -- inalabama they have come up with panic buttons hand out to teachers and staffs at public schools in the city and they are wear them around the necks and keep them within reach. when the button is pushed, blue lights go off throughout the school prompting everyone to go into lock down mode. >>> lock at this video. -- look at this video. more than 40 inches of snow in 24 hours in connecticut. here's what that looks likeshushed down to 30 seconds. this is time-lapse video and -- shushed down to 30 seconds -- smushed down to 30 seconds. this is time-lapse video to show you how quickly it fell and aggressively. >> i am watching the clock to see when there was a strong push and looks like th

if mandatory minimums existed in the state of illinois michael ward would not have been on the street to commit this heinous act. that is gary mccarthy talking about one of the suspects in the pendleton case he is on probation for a gun crime when he killed the 15 year-old so alvarez agreed that the case for stricter penalties is stacking up. the people who are out there either legally having guns and creating all of this violence are the criminals they are the gangbangers so if we cannot keep them off of the streets of wonder i think we will see a decrease. at the university of chicago crime lab they crunched the numbers. in many ways chicago is not new york so you cannot just copy what other people are doing. but you can study it and he says that raising the minimum can help. it sometimes but not always true thati think that we need to have a change in the mine said in the and it's up to judges to impose those tougher penalties of course there are concerns about what longer sentences may do to the state's prison system when there is already no money. i don't think we will be overtax

cook county jail inmate gave investigators a tip to question a recent parolee who led them to michael ward and kenneth williams who has been charged with first-degree murder and denied bond. i look forward to looking with the residents of the seventh ward and a look forward to looking at all of my colleagues in the state council. jackson resigning and it's the corruption investigation of her husband and her. the cop who fired the shots is 31 year-old officer sierra who told investigators he thought former had a gun in fact farmer was only holding his cell phone. the family protested in demand charges the chicago police department claims the shooting was justified he was never charged but he was stripped of his police powers. today the city council approved a $4.1 million settlement for farmers family. it doesn't bring justice to what happened to our son farmers father called the shooting and execution he believes that the officer will be charged eventually farmers attorney says that the video was to keep piece of evidence that led to the seven figure settlement with all the video you basic

members have been with the death of a chicago teenager. 18-year-old michael ward and 20- faceold kennethams first-degree murder charges in shooting of hadiya pendleton. say they mr. uecker and her group of friends or rival gang members. 15-year-old honor student was killed just days after taking inaugural parade in d.c. her parents will join the first lady tonight to watch the state of the union address. >> women wanting a high-paying job should stay right here. that d.c. isinds paying city for women according to "forbes" magazine. median salary for women in the capital is more and $57,000 a year. san jose is second on the list bridgeport, connecticut in by sanrd place, followed francisco and trenton, new jersey. the top dogs of the nation are kennel clubinster show in new york city. >> best competed on the first night of the show. shot aters will take a being named best in show tonight. the westminster kennel club dog is amounts the most prestigious they nine competitions in the world. folks watching television in a jolt as their programming was interrupted with a zombie invasion report

police say 20-year-old kenneth williams and 18-year-old michael ward mistook her and her friends for members of a rival gang and shot them in retaliation. >> i am amazed. i am so excited. i am happy that the murder is off t -- murderer off the street. >> she died one week after performing at the president's inauguration. >> such a sad story. president obama presented a brave army receipt van with our nation's highest military award the medal of honor. former staff sergeant was at a combat out post in afghanistan in 2009 when three taliban fighters launched an ambush. it was one of the bloodiest of the war. they called in air support that killed 30 enemy fighters and resiced h -- risked his life to retrieve the bodies of the fallen p. >> they fought valiantly and magnificently that day. i will forever be humbled to his commitment to service and loyalty to one another. >> before the ceremony his son stole the show. he tried to climb the president's podium and then made a dash for the chair where his dad would sit. >> that is your 5@5:00. >> it is time to look at who is talking and we a

michael ward has confessed and indicated that pendleton was not the intended target in fact the offenders had it all wrong they saw the group they shot into included members of a rival gang but instead it was a group of all outstanding determined kids like pendleton mccarthy announcing the charges tonight officers who worked around the clock on this case, the two suspects were pulled over late saturday night near 67th and can drive headed to a strip club it was in the afternoon of january 29th at harsh park that police say he opened fire on a group of teenagers who were huddled under an awning to get out of the rain williams allegedly drove the getaway car. he was shot in the back and he died, two others were injured her death struck a nerve with a city already reeling from a bloody january following a 500 homicide 2012 pendleton's smiling face was broadcast on media outlets across the country a 15 year- old honor student at kean college prep killed just one week after performing at an event for the president's inauguration on saturday is outside church was packed to capacity with mourner

chicago police say they have charged two men, 18-year-old michael ward and kenneth williams, 20, with hadiya pendleton's murder. >> sadly hadiya's life was cut far too short by the unksconscis actions of two criminals who have been charged this evening. >> reporter: 15-year-old pendleton was shot to death not far from president obama's chicago home two weeks ago. an innocent, police say, murdered by gang members seeking retaliation, adding that michael ward has confessed to pulling the trigger. >> they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. instead, it was a group of upstanding, determined kids. >> reporter: pendleton's family in washington to attend this evening's state of the union address, expressed relief and gratitude. >> i'm happy that the murderer of hadiya is now off the street. i look forward and hope they are convicted and i'm going to be in court every day. >> hadiya's death moved the city of chicago to mourning. her funeral, attended by first lady michelle obama and hundreds of friends and classmates. >> we have to stop the violence. >> ward and

the chicago tribune reports one of the suspects, michael ward, a reputed gang member was out on the streets, even though he violated his probation. both ward and kenneth williams are now charged with pendleton's murder. >>> and earlier today, her parents and other victim's families invited to washington for the state of the union. they attended a senate hearing on ways to reduce gun violence. illinois democrat, richard durbin, opened the hearing by saying, it is time for congress to pass meaningful gun control legislation. and that he believes requiring background checks for all gun purchases would be constitutional. the panel's top republican disagrees. texas senator argued the focus of law enforcement should be on criminals and that curbing the rights of citizens to own a gun would do nothing to stop violent crime. >>> well, a divided senate armed services committee has approved chuck hagel's nomination to become the secretary. hagel is a republican. he faced fierce opposition from his party. they have challenged some of his past statements and votes on israel, iran, iraq, and nuclear wea

every day. >> and they say that michael ward was a good kid. is a good kid. he's 18 years old.roblem in this city is that these kids are out of control in these gangs. and this gun violence is just hurting everybody in these neighborhoods. they're hoping the president just by being here will extend this conversation that really was sparked by hadiya's death. they're hoping it can extend to the point where real change can be accomplished. carol. >> i'm just struggling to understand michael's family members. he hasn't gone to court yet. but accused of being involved in hadiya's murder. so why shouldn't he be the poster boy if he's guilty of this crime? >> well, their point is this is a young man like a lot of young men in these urban areas, specifically in chicago, that are caught up on this. they don't believe he's guilty. they don't know. they waiting for the facts to come out. they're claiming he's not guilty but they are keeping an open mind. the bottom line, their family is hurting just like other families. you take hadiya are pendleton's case, the whole country knows about

aunts of michael ward, one of two men charged with hadiya's murder. they describe him as nice and funny and they say while they don't know if he's responsible for the shooting, they say the violence has to stop, and like the president, their own community has to step up. >> stand outside and say let's get together, let's walk the streets, let's walk the block. not we're going to have a candle burning. that's not it. let's have a conversation with the kids. >> before his speech, the president had a conversation with several kids growing up around the violence, speaking privately for almost an hour. >> good advice about how he dealt with his anger issues and his problems. we had a good experience with him today. >> the president spoke for a total of about 25 minutes. while many of the themes in his speech were echoed in the state of the union, you could feel the obvious connection he has with the city of chicago, and his concern with the ongoing violence here. chris? >> all right, our thanks to ted rowlands. joining us now is the director of cease-fire

police say that michael ward and kenneth williams thought that they were shooting at a rival gang whenold hadiya pendleton, just days after the inaugural. they were charged with first-degree murder. last evening and just days after the first lady attended the young girl's funeral. now, the teen's mom says she is relieved. >> i'm happy that the murder of hadiya pendleton is now off the street. i look forward and i hope that they are convicted to the fullest extent of the law and i'm going to be in court every day. >> police say that one of the men confessed and admitted that hadiya was not the intended target. >>> right now, members of hadiya pendleton's families are attending a senate hearing on ways to reduce gun violence in america. the judiciary committee is hearing from law enforcement on how to strike a balance between security and the second amendment. meanwhile, tonight's state of the union address is giving some lawmakers a way to keep pressure on their colleagues to pass gun control legislation. more than a dozen are bringing people who have been affected by gun violence, for

the chicago tribune is reporting that one of the suspects 18-year-old michael ward arrested three times and probation officials failed to notify prosecutors of the arrest. kevin tibls is in chicago with the latest. i understand there's a confession according to police? >> yes, police are saying that. and the interesting point here is that the chief of police here in chicago essentially says that if this city had stronger gun control legislation that mr. ward would not have been on the streets because he had already been on parole for gun offenses. and that had chicago, had illinois had tougher gun controls he would have been behind bars and not out on the street two weeks ago in order to commit the crime. >> obviously hadiya's parents thankful that there's been an arrest and charges here but, kevin, what else can you tell me about this other individual arrested and videotape statement according to police? >> well, the other individual williams really was not the shooter here. it is ward who's the one that police extracted the confession from and they have been held -- are being held wit

kathryn mangu-ward, michael moynihan's comments and deroy murdoch isn't the president's focus on gun-controlmigration a smokescreen to avoid dealing with the debt? >> maybe not but when you do a budget that they have not done in four years and to be more specific is hard work. as an issue. >> the american people don't know what to do about the debt they think it is out of control they're perfectly happy to talk about other stuff. >> what to expect the impact of the college ranking system to be? >> what he is trying to do i think is go harder on the for-profit schools. first term he tried to issue new rules to the department of education to ke a harder for for-profit schools to get more money while i favor turning off the flood of money but i suspect the underlying purpose will be to make the for-profit schools that do career training look bad and not eligible for federal funds. >> that's right. >> like everything in the speech it has zero defect. >> if they would be brave to say why is the cost of college rising? but that is not how this works. sandy of the thing is we need to more kids in c

police say, kenneth williams and michael ward are facing first-degree murder charges in the killing.d hadiya pendleton. the young girl has recent form during the presidential inauguration ceremonies in washington. the first lady a tender funerals over the weekend. pendleton was shot in the back just miles from president obamas chicago home. >> still ahead some of a man's best friends on the loose in oakland. in one man is now feeling the pain. his story on the kron 4 morning news continues. >> the time is 4:44. but us get to the forecast. erica. >> good morning james. we have areas of locally dense fog. that is the case in the north bay. some improvement and navato. visibility is 7 mi. for santa rosa if you're driving in the coastline. it is chilling. it feels like wintertime. at the freezing mark in navato . 31 in fairfield and low for is for hayward and fremont. >> futurecast 4 highlights 12:00 and mixing of fifties and lows 60s. heading into the afternoon around 2:00 p.m. when was the clear skies, sunshine. the green hills in on your screen. it will be a pleasant afternoon. --gree