Wilks said the family was elated that the suspects were in jail.

"However there is no level of comfort -- not long-term comfort -- and we are still miserable," she said.

The shooting should not have happened, McCarthy said, openly frustrated with Illinois' gun laws.

Ward was already on parole for a previous gun violation -- unlawful use of a firearm -- when he shot Pendleton, McCarthy said. He thinks he should have been behind bars and not walking around free.

"Michael Ward would not have been on the streets of New York City to commit this act, if it had happened there," McCarthy said.

"This is not about gun control, he said. This is about the criminal justice system being designed to prevent gun violence."

The police superintendent called for mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes. What he wants most are controls surrounding the "loss, theft or transfer of firearms."

Obama hand-wrote a note to Pendleton's parents, when she died. It was printed on the funeral program and included a promise to take action:

"We know that no words from us can soothe the pain, but rest assured that we are praying for you, and that we will continue to work as hard as we can to end this senseless violence. God Bless, Barack Obama."