The family of Sheridan Gorman is challenging remarks made by Chicago and Illinois officials, asserting that her death should not be dismissed as merely a “senseless tragedy.” They are calling for responsibility to be taken for what they see as systemic failures.

Sheridan Gorman, 18, was tragically killed on March 19 around 1:06 a.m. while spending time with friends at a pier in the Rogers Park area of Chicago. Authorities report that Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, is accused of firing the single shot that claimed the life of the Loyola University Chicago student.

Medina-Medina was taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was subsequently released into the United States under the policies of the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

On Wednesday, the Gorman family issued a statement criticizing Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, emphasizing that Sheridan’s death “demands accountability.”

“Sheridan’s death cannot simply be labeled a ‘senseless tragedy’ nor explained away with broad statements about public safety. She was our daughter, just 18 years old, engaging in a normal activity—walking near her campus with friends. She deserved to be here,” the family expressed in response to recent comments by Mayor Johnson.

“Labeling this incident as ‘senseless’ falls short. There must be a transparent and thorough investigation into what went wrong,” the family continued. “We refuse to let Sheridan’s life be reduced to a mere talking point or generalization. We expect leadership to confront difficult truths and take measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.”

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.”

“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.

“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.

“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.

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.

Images of the suspect were sent to a police database, and US 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.