Undocumented immigrant arrested in killing of Loyola University Chicago student: DHS
An undocumented immigrant from Venezuela has been arrested in the killing of a Loyola University Chicago student, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Sheridan Gorman, 18, was walking with friends near Tobey Prinz Beach Park, less than a mile from the university's Lake Shore campus, in the early hours of March 19 when a man walked up to the group and shot Gorman, according to Chicago police.
"She had her entire life ahead of her -- her education, her future, her family, the countless lives she would have touched," Gorman's family said in a statement. "All of that was taken in a moment."
The suspect, Jose Medina, was arrested on Friday on charges including first-degree murder, police said.
DHS said it's lodged an arrest detainer as the agency pushes for Medina to be kept behind bars.
DHS said Medina has been apprehended and released twice. He was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and released in May 2023, and the next month, he was arrested for shoplifting in Chicago and released, DHS said. The Chicago Police Department said it doesn't provide criminal histories.
Gorman "was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians," DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. "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."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement on Monday, saying, “Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving the senseless murder of Sheridan Gorman."
The governor also accused the Trump administration of "politicizing heinous tragedies," calling on the administration to reinstate federal funds "to prevent violence that support our public safety efforts."
Gorman's family also commented on the immigration policies, saying, "We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime. When systems fail -- whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act -- the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent."
"Accountability must be complete," the family said.
Medina was scheduled to appear at a detention hearing on Monday, police said, but he is in the hospital so his hearing will be postponed, the Cook County Sheriff's Office said, according to ABC Chicago station WLS.
