The family of Sheridan Gorman, the college student who was fatally shot by an illegal immigrant in Chicago, are slamming the sanctuary-policy-supporting leaders in Illinois for their response to her killing.
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, allegedly approached the college freshman wearing a black mask around 1 a.m. on March 19, and shot her as she tried to run. The 18-year-old Loyola University freshman was walking with friends to see the Northern Lights when she was fatally shot, her family said.
After former President Joe Biden’s administration released Medina at the border in May 2023, he wound up in Chicago, where he allegedly shoplifted from a local Macy’s that June, according to the Chicago Tribune. Medina failed to show up for his hearing in the case before a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded nearly a week after the killing, calling it an act of “senseless violence” and a “tragedy.”
“As I prepare to send my oldest son off to college this fall, I can’t stop thinking about the Gorman family as they bear the unimaginable loss of their daughter Sheridan. What I want for my child is what I want for every single child and every single person in this city. That is to be safe and to live out their purpose without fear. Disturbing acts of violence like this set us back as a city,” Johnson said. “We will not tolerate those who break the law and put the lives of others in danger.”
“I believe that we’re all grieving the loss of Sheridan and other folks who have lost their lives because of senseless violence.”
Gorman’s family hit back at Johnson, calling for accountability in the case.
“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy,’ nor can it be explained in general terms about public safety. Sheridan was our daughter. She was 18 years old. She was doing something entirely normal — walking near her campus with friends. She should be here,” the Gorman family said, according to Fox News.
“Calling this ‘senseless’ is not enough. There must be a clear and honest accounting of what went wrong,” the family said. “We will not allow Sheridan’s life to be reduced to a talking point or a generalization. We expect leadership that is willing to confront hard truths and ensure that what happened to her does not happen again.”
Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s office released its first statement on Gorman’s killing Tuesday afternoon.
“Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving the senseless murder of Sheridan Gorman. Violent crime has no place in our streets, and we expect the alleged perpetrator to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” a spokesperson for Pritzker told The Daily Wire.
“The Trump Administration needs to stop politicizing heinous tragedies and instead focus on real solutions, like reinstating federal funds to prevent violence that support our public safety efforts,” the spokesperson added.
Gorman’s family also hit back at Pritzker over his statement.
“Sheridan’s death cannot be reduced to a general ‘tragedy,’ nor can it be explained away by broad references to failures somewhere else. Sheridan was a daughter, a sister, and a young woman whose life was taken in a way that should never have been possible,” the family said, according to Fox News. “We are not interested in political arguments or in watching responsibility shift from one place to another. If there were failures — as the Governor himself has acknowledged—then every one of them must be identified, examined, and addressed directly. The location of those failures matters less than the willingness to confront them honestly.”
“Our daughter is not a policy debate. She is a life that was taken, and that demands accountability,” they added.
Medina was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder in the first degree, three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, according to the Tribune. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer with local authorities, but it is not likely to force any action due to sanctuary laws.
His initial court appearance was delayed after he was hospitalized with tuberculosis. He is due in court Friday.
