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Sheridan Gorman’s family is pushing back against comments from Chicago and Illinois leaders, saying his killing was not a “senseless tragedy” and demanding accountability for what they call a systemic failure.
Gorman, 18, was killed on March 19 around 1:06 a.m. with friends at a bar in downtown Rogers Park. Officials say Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, allegedly shot and killed a Loyola University student in Chicago. Medina-Medina was arrested by the US Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and released to the US under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Gorman’s family on Wednesday issued a statement criticizing Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, saying her death “requires accountability.”
“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy,’ and cannot be explained in general terms of public safety. Sheridan was our daughter. She was 18 years old. She was doing something completely normal—walking around her campus with friends. She should be here,” the Gorman family said of Johnson’s recent comments.
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Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman poses with the school’s mascot during a campus event in an undated photo. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
“Calling this ‘senseless’ is not enough. There must be a clear and honest response to what went wrong,” added the family. “We will not allow Sheridan’s life to be reduced to a side story or normal. We expect leadership that is willing to face the hard facts and ensure that what happened to him never happens again.”
Gorman’s family also responded to the words of Gov. Pritzker is the latest on the college student’s death, writing that “to call this a tragedy is not enough.”
“Sheridan’s death cannot be reduced to a simple “tragedy”, nor can it be explained by a broad reference to failure elsewhere. Sheridan was a daughter, a sister, and a young woman whose life was taken in a way that should not have happened,” the family said. “We are not interested in political discussions or looking at shifting responsibility from one place to another. If there have been failures—as the Governor himself has admitted—then all of them must be identified, examined, and dealt with directly. The location of those problems is less important than the willingness to deal with them honestly.”
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Jose Medina-Medina, who is originally from Venezuela, was arrested for shoplifting and released before the alleged murder, DHS confirmed. (DHS)
“Our daughter is not an argument about policy. It is a life that was taken, and that calls for accountability,” he added.
Pritzker on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration during the event, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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“This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know that the Gorman family has suffered a lot … There has been a real failure. That failure, of course, extends beyond the borders of Illinois. That is their national failure, the failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, the failure of the president to follow his order to follow the worst of the worst,” said Pritzker.
Johnson on Tuesday also addressed Gorman’s death, saying his life was taken because of “senseless violence,” but also called out President Trump.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a rally in Chicago on Oct. 18, 2025. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
“There are no words that can adequately comfort a family that has lost their child. My condolences go out to the Gorman family,” said Johnson. “You know what’s the biggest threat to our public safety, it’s illegal weapons smuggled from border countries that voted for Donald Trump. This president refuses to be held accountable. And he points the finger at everything and everyone against doing something to really reflect on what his responsibility is.”
“We know that this president has not taken this situation seriously in this challenge in our country, because my question would be, isn’t it time for the president of the United States of America in Congress to do something and pass a complete reform of immigration?” Johnson continued.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, center, speaks in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“There are no words that can adequately comfort a family that has lost their child. My condolences go out to the Gorman family,” said Johnson.
In a statement sent by Fox News Digital, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Donald Trump’s immigration policies have kept Americans safe.
“In record time, President Trump has fully secured the border, ended the Biden border crisis, and deported dozens of dangerous illegal aliens. Those are the real solutions that keep Americans safe. Meanwhile, slobs like Pritzker have consistently protected dangerous illegal criminal aliens and tried to obstruct the important work of the Trump Administration. Pritzker’s policies are making Americans less safe,” Jackson said.
Homes in Yorktown Heights, New York, where Gorman was born, were lit up green Tuesday night in honor of the college student who was killed in Chicago. according to CBS News.
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A community lights a green porch in honor of slain Loyola student Sheridan Gorman in Yorktown Heights, NY, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago last week, allegedly as an illegal immigrant. (Fox News Digital)
A community lights a green porch in honor of slain Loyola student Sheridan Gorman in Yorktown Heights, NY, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago last week, allegedly as an illegal immigrant. (Fox News Digital)
A community lights a green porch in honor of slain Loyola student Sheridan Gorman in Yorktown Heights, NY, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago last week, allegedly as an illegal immigrant. (Fox News Digital)
An arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Medina-Medina was seen on security video in the lobby of her apartment waiting for an elevator when she was unmasked after the alleged shooting. The civil engineer told police he knew the suspect, who “was limping and walking very differently.”
Police said Medina-Medina was wearing a black mask and black clothing when he left the scene of the shooting, and said he was “limping and walking slowly.” He was seen walking away from the scene of the shooting toward Pratt Boulevard at 1:12 a.m. A few minutes later, the man was seen walking north on the east side of Sheridan Street before going into the back of his apartment.
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Sheridan Gorman was killed after being shot in the head while walking with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, less than a mile from the Illinois campus, around 1 a.m. Thursday, according to reports. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
Photos of the suspect were posted on the police website, and US Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina-Medina. He was arrested at his Rogers Park apartment, according to an arrest report.
Medina-Medina told officials in 2023 that he lived in the Leone Beach Park area of Rogers Park in 2023, which was used as a city-sponsored immigrant shelter. The shelter was slated to close in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson and Pritzker’s office.
