Venezuelan migrant charged in Loyola student's killing held in custody
CHICAGO - A Venezuelan migrant accused of killing a Loyola University freshman appeared in court Friday and was ordered to remain in custody.
What we know:
Jose Medina, 25, was ordered detained by a judge. He wore a medical mask and is being quarantined at Cermak Health Services at the Cook County Jail after testing positive for tuberculosis.
Medina is accused of fatally shooting 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman on March 19 near Tobey Prinz Beach in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
According to court documents, Gorman and three friends were near the lakefront and walked onto a pier with a lighthouse at the end. Prosecutors said Medina had already gone to the end of the pier and was behind the lighthouse.
Gorman, who was walking ahead of the group, reached the lighthouse first. When she looked to the other side, she was startled by Medina, court records state. She returned to her friends and told them a man was behind the structure.
Medina then emerged from behind the lighthouse wearing black clothing and a mask and holding a gun, according to court documents.
As Gorman and her friends ran toward the beach, Medina fired once, striking Gorman in the upper back, authorities said.
Her friends continued running to the beach, hid and called police. While hiding, they reported seeing Medina pacing on the pier.
After he left, they returned to Gorman, who was found bleeding and unresponsive a few feet from the lighthouse. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Investigators said witness accounts, surveillance video and forensic evidence helped identify Medina, who was later arrested at an apartment building on North Sheridan Road.
He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Medina did not appear at a detention hearing Monday because he was hospitalized.
What they're saying:
On Friday, Cook County State's Attorney Eileen O'Neill Burke issued this statement on the case:
"This is a heartbreaking and senseless act of violence that took the life of young woman with her entire future ahead of her and leaves a resounding impact on her friends who witnessed this terrifying shooting. Our thoughts are with Sheridan’s family, her friends, and the Loyola University community as they grieve this profound loss. Our office is committed to seeking justice for Sheridan and holding the defendant fully accountable as we prosecute this case to the fullest extent," Burke said.
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."
Loyola student’s killing sparks political fallout, policy debate in Chicago
After the death of Sheridan Gorman, city leaders react as pressure mounts on Mayor Brandon Johnson and the City Council over public safety and Chicago’s sanctuary city policies.
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."
Sheridan Gorman
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.