An 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University Chicago was fatally shot early Thursday morning while walking with friends along the city’s lakefront in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Sheridan Gorman, from Yorktown Heights in Westchester County, New York, was near Tobey Prinz Beach and a pier overlooking the skyline around 1:30 a.m. on March 19 when a masked gunman approached the group. As Gorman and her friends fled, the suspect fired, striking her in the back (initial reports mentioned the head or neck area). She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her friends escaped unharmed.
Chicago police quickly identified a suspect thanks to surveillance video showing a man with a distinct limp fleeing the area minutes after the shooting. He was arrested and identified as 25-year-old Jose Medina (also referred to as Jose Medina-Medina or José Medina), a Venezuelan national living in Rogers Park. Medina has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault with a firearm, and other felonies. He is being held in Cook County Jail pending trial, with a judge denying release during a detention hearing. He now also faces a federal charge for illegal possession of a firearm.
Loyola University Chicago President Mark C. Reed sent a letter to the campus community expressing profound sadness: “It is with profound sadness that I write to share that one of our students, Sheridan Gorman, was killed earlier today. This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her.”
The case has drawn national attention due to Medina’s immigration history. According to the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him on May 9, 2023, and he was released into the country. Later that June, he was arrested in Chicago for shoplifting but released again after failing to appear in court, leaving an outstanding warrant. ICE has lodged an immigration detainer requesting that local authorities not release him, citing his status as an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. Acting officials have criticized “open border policies” and Chicago’s sanctuary policies for allegedly allowing him to remain free before the shooting.
In a statement, DHS highlighted that Sheridan “had her whole life ahead of her” before the incident and urged Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and local leaders to honor the detainer and prioritize public safety.
The tragedy has reignited debates over immigration enforcement, sanctuary cities, and criminal aliens. Broader data shows ICE arrests averaging over 1,100 per day nationwide this year—nearly double the rate from last spring—with varying enforcement patterns across regions, including higher activity in some areas and slower progress in sanctuary jurisdictions like parts of Illinois and California.
At just 18, Gorman was a promising young student whose family now mourns instead of celebrating her future. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the human cost when violent crime intersects with policy failures. As the legal process unfolds, her loved ones and the Loyola community continue to grieve a life cut short far too soon.
