Yorktown family: Chicago police have suspect in daughter's murder
Part of a family statement released Sunday reads: “As the case moves forward toward arraignment, the family has been informed that the suspect is a Venezuelan national and additional information is expected to be released.”
The family of the Yorktown college student fatally shot in Chicago is told there is a suspect in the case.
Part of a family statement released Sunday reads: “As the case moves forward toward arraignment, the family has been informed that the suspect is a Venezuelan national and additional information is expected to be released.”
News 12 is reaching out for additional information about the apparent arrest. Chicago Police could only say that a person of interest is being questioned at this time.
The statement continued: “We recognize that the arraignment represents a formal step in the justice process, and we appreciate the work of law enforcement in bringing the case to this point. But for our family, this is not about a process—it is about accountability, and it is about ensuring that Sheridan’s life is not reduced to just another case moving through the system.”
Gorman, 18, was a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago. She was fatally shot early Thursday near a beach close to Loyola’s campus.
Chicago police say Gorman was walking with friends along West Pratt Boulevard around 1:30 a.m. when an unknown man approached the group and opened fire.
"It is with profound sadness that I write to share that one of our students, Sheridan Gorman, was killed earlier today in an incident north of the Lake Shore Campus. This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her," wrote Loyola President Mark Reed in a statement.
Gorman was a graduate of Yorktown High School.
“Sheridan was loved by all who knew her, and her impact on students and staff alike was profound. She was a shining light for so many people," said Yorktown Central School District Superintendent Dr. Ron Hattar in a statement to the school community.
Gorman’s family said that her shooting death was “not inevitable.”
“This was a choice. And our daughter paid the price for it. We want to be clear: Sheridan did nothing wrong. She lived her life the way any young person should be able to live it—freely, safely, and without fear. That was taken from her. And it was taken from us. Our daughter’s life was not expendable. She should still be here.”
"Honestly to lose a life like this, for someone to be executed for no reason is tragic for her, tragic for the family, her friends and the community," said Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman.
Lachterman told News 12 that a candlelight vigil in Gorman's memory is being planned and that her family is scheduled to return home from Chicago, on Tuesday.
As Chicago Police had yet to confirm an arrest as of Sunday night, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a request to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and sanctuary politicians to not release an illegal alien from Venezuela arrested in the killing Gorman.
DHS identified him as Jose Medina-Medina. It said U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him in May 2023 and released into the country under the Biden administration. He was then released again in June 2023 after an arrest for shoplifting in Chicago.
News 12 reached out to DHS but had yet to hear back as of Sunday night.
