Sydney, Jan 31 : A 15-year-old American girl who performed at President Barack Obama''s inauguration last week has been shot dead in Chicago by a gunman.

According to the police, the gunman opened fire on a group of kids hanging out in a Chicago park.

Chicago police said Hadiya Pendleton, who performed in a marching band at this month''s inauguration, was in a park about a 2km from Obama''s home in a South Side neighborhood when she was killed by the gunman who apparently was not even aiming at her.

According to the Herald Sun, the incident comes at a time when Obama, spurred by the Connecticut elementary school massacre in December, is actively pushing for tougher gun laws, though he faces ardent opposition from the National Rifle Association and its allies in Congress.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said that the President and the First Lady''s "thoughts and prayers are with" the teen''s family.

He added that `as the President has said that he will never be able to eradicate every act of evil in this country, but if we can save any one child''s life, we have an obligation to try when it comes to the scourge of gun violence.' (ANI)