Mother vows ‘fight for justice’ after Loyola freshman killed in Chicago

Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was killed March 19 in what officials described as a sudden, violent attack near a pier in the city’s Rogers Park neighborhood, authorities said.

Officials allege Jose Medina-Medina, 25, fired one shot that killed Gorman, and he has been charged in the case, officials said. The Department of Homeland Security said Medina-Medina was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was later released into the United States under the Biden administration.

At a vigil Saturday in Yorktown Heights, New York, Gorman’s mother, Jessica Gorman, delivered emotional remarks and said the family would “fight for justice.” “I’m angry,” she said. “I’m like completely heartbroken, and we are going to fight for justice for our sweet Sheridan, and we’re going to fight for change.”

The family’s attorney, Thomas Tripodianos, said the case should warn against complacency about public safety. “If we accept this, even silently, then we are accepting a reality where young people are not as safe as they should be. And that is not acceptable,” he said. Friends and family also shared memories. Steven Betancourt, director of campus ministry at Loyola University Chicago, said, “Sheridan, you are deeply loved at Loyola. You are deeply missed, and you will live on in the lives you touched and forever changed.”

The Gorman family criticized Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and said the death “demands accountability.” “She was doing something entirely normal — walking near her campus with friends. She should be here,” the family said. The suspect appeared in court Friday and was ordered to remain in custody, and he faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a gun, according to FOX 32 Chicago.

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