The family of Sheridan Gorman is challenging remarks made by Chicago and Illinois officials, arguing that her death was more than just a “senseless tragedy” and calling for accountability over what they describe as systemic failures.
Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old student, was tragically killed on March 19 at approximately 1:06 a.m. while spending time with friends on a pier in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Authorities have identified the suspect as 25-year-old Jose Medina-Medina, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela. He allegedly fired a single shot that resulted in Gorman’s death. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina-Medina was detained by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and subsequently released into the United States under the Biden administration’s policies.
On Wednesday, the Gorman family issued a statement criticizing Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, insisting that Sheridan’s death “demands accountability.”
“Sheridan’s death cannot be simply labeled as a ‘senseless tragedy’ nor dismissed with generic statements about public safety,” the family expressed, responding to recent comments by Mayor Johnson. “She was our daughter, only 18 years old, doing something completely normal—walking near her campus with friends. She should still be with us,” they emphasized.
In a heartfelt message, the family continued, “Describing this as ‘senseless’ doesn’t suffice. There needs to be a frank and thorough investigation into what went wrong. We refuse to let Sheridan’s life become just a talking point or a vague statistic. We demand leadership that is prepared to face difficult truths and take steps to prevent such tragedies in the future.”
“Calling this ‘senseless’ is not enough. There must be a clear and honest accounting of what went wrong,” the family added. “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.”
Gorman’s family also responded to Gov. Pritzker’s recent comments on the freshman college student’s death, writing that “calling this a tragedy is not enough.”
“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. “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.”
Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national, was also arrested for shoplifting and released before the alleged murder, DHS confirmed. (DHS)
“Our daughter is not a policy debate. She is a life that was taken, and that demands accountability,” they added.
Pritzker on Tuesday shifted blame to the Trump administration during an event, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily… There have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. That’s their national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst,” Pritzker said.
Johnson on Tuesday also addressed Gorman’s death, saying that her life was taken due to “senseless violence,” but called out President Trump as well.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a rally in Chicago on Oct. 18, 2025. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
“There’s no words that one could express that could properly console a family that lost their baby. And my condolences to the Gorman family,” Johnson said. “You know what the bigger threat to our public safety, it’s illegal weapons that are being trafficked from bordering states that voted for Donald Trump. This president refuses to be held accountable. And he points the finger at everything and everyone else versus doing some real self-reflection on what his responsibility is.”
“We know that this president has not taken this situation in this challenge in our country seriously, because my question would be, isn’t it time for the president of the United States of America in Congress to actually act and pass comprehensive immigration reform?” Johnson continued.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, center, speaks in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“There’s no words that one could express that could properly console a family that lost their baby. And my condolences to the Gorman family,” Johnson said.
In a statement to 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 totally secured the border, ended Biden’s border crisis, and deported countless dangerous criminal illegal aliens. Those are real solutions that keep the American people safe. Meanwhile, slobs like Pritzker have constantly defended dangerous criminal illegal aliens and attempted to obstruct the important work of the Trump Administration. Pritzker’s policies make the American people less safe,” Jackson said.
Homes in Yorktown Heights, New York, Gorman’s hometown, were lit up in green on Tuesday night to honor the slain Chicago college student. according to CBS News.
A home displays a green porch light in honor of murdered Loyola student, Sheridan Gorman, in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gorman was shot to death in Chicago last week, allegedly by an illegal migrant. (Fox News Digital)
A home displays a green porch light in honor of murdered Loyola student, Sheridan Gorman, in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gorman was shot to death in Chicago last week, allegedly by an illegal migrant. (Fox News Digital)
A home displays a green porch light in honor of murdered Loyola student, Sheridan Gorman, in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Gorman was shot to death in Chicago last week, allegedly by an illegal migrant. (Fox News Digital)
An arrest report obtained by obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Medina-Medina was seen on security video in his apartment building’s lobby waiting for an elevator while unmasked after the alleged shooting. A building engineer told police that he knew the suspect, who had a “very distinct limp and gait.”
Police said Medina-Medina was wearing a black mask and black clothing as he walked away from the shooting, noting that he had a “distinct limp and slow gait.” He was seen walking from the location of the shooting to Pratt Boulevard at 1:12 a.m. Just a few minutes later, the individual was seen walking northbound through the east alley of Sheridan Road before he entered the back of his apartment complex.
Sheridan Gorman was killed after being shot in the head while taking a walk with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, located less than a mile from the Illinois’ campus, around 1 a.m. on Thursday, according to reports. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
Images of the suspect were sent to a police database, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina-Medina. He was arrested at his apartment in Rogers Park, according to the arrest report.
Medina-Medina told officials in 2023 that he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants. The shelter closed in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson and Pritzker’s office.
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