Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan who entered the US illegally in May 2023, has been named by the Department of Homeland Security as the suspect in the fatal shooting of Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman. The 18-year-old was killed early Thursday morning while walking with friends near campus. Medina-Medina was previously released after crossing the border and had an outstanding warrant for shoplifting.
Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old business student from New York and member of the Christian campus group Cru, was shot shortly after 1 a.m. on Thursday while walking with friends to view the Northern Lights, according to her family. The incident occurred near Loyola University Chicago campus in Illinois. Police arrested Jose Medina-Medina, 25, after identifying him by his distinct limp and surveillance footage showing him without a mask inside a nearby apartment building following the shooting, as reported by the Chicago Tribune and DHS. Authorities state Medina-Medina approached Gorman wearing black clothes and a black mask, then fired one round as she attempted to flee. Medina-Medina crossed the US border illegally in May 2023 and was released into the country, per DHS. In June 2023, he allegedly shoplifted from a Macy's store, failed to appear for a hearing, and had an outstanding warrant as of September 2023. Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis stated, “Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder.” Bis further urged, “We are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.” An ICE detainer has been issued, though local sanctuary policies may prevent compliance. Gorman's family described her as having “a way of leaving people better than she found them” and emphasized she “was exactly where she should have been — close to campus, surrounded by friends, living her life.” They added, “What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to the idea of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time... Our family is forever changed.” After learning the suspect's nationality, the family called for accountability ahead of arraignment.
