In a heartbreaking incident early Thursday morning, an 18-year-old college freshman lost her life in a shooting near a Lake Michigan beach. The victim, Sheridan Gorman, was a Loyola University student who was walking with friends near Tobey Prinz Beach close to the university’s Chicago campus when the tragedy occurred.

According to a report by WLS, the group was approached by a masked man who suddenly drew a weapon and began firing. Gorman was fatally shot in the head, dying instantly at the scene. Police have indicated that she was not the intended target, but have yet to clarify whether someone else in the group was the actual target.

Loyola University expressed its profound sorrow in a statement, saying, “This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her.” The university assured the community that there is no ongoing threat to campus safety and promised to provide updates as more information comes to light during the investigation.

Gorman’s family, residing in Yorktown, New York, shared their grief and devastation in a statement to WMAQ. “Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago. There is no way to soften this—this was murder,” the family expressed. They remembered Gorman as the light of their lives, someone who made others feel seen, safe, and loved with her presence. Her life was a testament to kindness, compassion, and joy, and she held her family and friends dear to her heart.

Gorman’s family in Yorktown, New York, provided a statement to WMAQ.

“Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago. There is no way to soften this—this was murder,” the statement said. “Sheridan was the light of our lives. She made people feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was. She lived her faith with kindness, compassion, and joy, and she loved her family and friends deeply.”

The family acknowledged “the outpouring of support from the various communities connected to our family” and asked for privacy to process their grief.

Police said the group did not know the gunman.