CHICAGO – A Venezuelan migrant accused of killing a Loyola University freshman appeared in court Friday and was ordered to remain in custody.
The backstory:
Jose Medina, 25, allegedly shot and killed 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman on March 19 near Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park.
Police said Medina approached Gorman and her friends while masked and fired toward them, striking Gorman in the back as she tried to run. She died at the scene.
According to police, witness accounts, surveillance video and forensic evidence helped identify Medina, who was later taken into custody at an apartment building on North Sheridan Road.
He was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, three felony counts of aggravated assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm — all felonies.
Medina did not appear at a detention hearing on Monday due to being hospitalized.
What they’re saying:
Hours before charges were officially announced, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed an arrest detainer for Medina.
According to ICE, Medina was previously in custody and later released on May 9, 2023, as well as on June 19, 2023, after being arrested for shoplifting in Chicago.
“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,” Department of Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.
President Donald Trump called Gorman’s death “devastating” and blamed the immigration policies of former President Joe Biden. He also called Medina an “animal.”
“This person came in through the open-door policy of Joe Biden, and we’re taking them out by the tens of thousands,” he said. “It’s a shame. They’ve hurt our country.”
Gov. JB Pritzker also commented on Gorman’s killing.
“Sheridan Gorman’s murder is a tragedy — and the person responsible must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Pritzker said. “My deepest condolences to the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving this devastating loss.”
Pritzker also pointed fingers at the Trump administration.
“I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily,” Pritzker said. “I agree. There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. There [are] national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst.”
He added, “and in my view, we have a lot of work that we need to continue to do, but it is the job of the federal government to go after immigration enforcement, and it is the job of our local and state law enforcement to prosecute, or to catch violent criminals and prosecute them, and we should continue to do that, both on the state level and national level.”
Illinois state Republican lawmakers laid the blame for the killing solely at the feet of Pritzker and Democrats, claiming they’ve strengthened protections for undocumented immigrants, making such alleged crimes possible. They said the state should stop at nothing short of abolishing such sanctuary state protections.
In a statement, Gorman’s family said, “We are again faced with the unbearable truth: our daughter’s life was taken, and our family will never be the same.”
They added, “Sheridan was the heart of our family. She had a rare ability to bring people together—to make others feel included, understood, and loved. She lived with intention, with faith, and with a kindness that defined who she was every single day. She was just beginning her journey, with so much ahead of her.”
The Source: The information in this story came from Jose Medina’s court appearance on Friday and previous FOX Chicago reporting.
Crime and Public SafetyRogers ParkMigrants in ChicagoNews