Mother of Slain Loyola Student Voices Anger Over Authorities’ Comments
The devastated mother of Sheridan Gorman, a Loyola student who was tragically killed, expressed her grief and frustration during an emotional interview on “The Story.” She criticized Chicago officials for their “pathetic” assertion that her daughter was simply “in the wrong place at the wrong time,” especially since authorities have stated that she was shot by an undocumented immigrant.
“Someone told a city councilor that phrase about my daughter,” Jess Gorman shared with anchor Martha McCallum, clearly upset. “She even suggested that maybe Sheridan caught this man off guard. It just infuriates me. My daughter, she wasn’t in the wrong place; that man was.”
Chicago City Councilwoman Maria Hadden later clarified that she had misinterpreted comments by conservative media which compared Gorman’s death to other incidents, and she intends to apologize for her remarks. Still, this did little to comfort the grieving Gorman family.
The family is mourning deeply, indicating that better policies could have potentially prevented such a tragedy. “She was supposed to be my maid of honor one day, and I was looking forward to being an aunt to her kids,” remarked Madelon Gorman, Sheridan’s sister. “Honestly, I never thought something like this would happen to any of us.”
Gorman was a freshman at Loyola University when she was shot and killed in Chicago back in March. The Department of Homeland Security revealed that Jose Medina-Medina, an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, had been released from custody several months prior, even while under Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s watch.
Jess Gorman now demands accountability, stating that ICE had opportunities to act that could have saved her daughter’s life. “ICE could have saved my daughter twice,” she said. “It seems to me that they prioritize illegal immigrants over American citizens and children.”
The DHS confirmed that Medina-Medina had, in fact, been released from ICE custody twice. He was arrested by Border Patrol in 2023 but was let go. Subsequently, he faced another arrest for shoplifting and was released once again.
The Gorman family expressed their deep dissatisfaction with Chicago’s immigration enforcement policies. “Just days after our daughter was murdered, they’re out naming trucks and joking around, while we’re in Chicago trying to pick up her body,” Jess Gorman stated, referencing a snowplow named “Abolish ICE” revealed shortly after the incident. “It was more than infuriating; the pain is just overwhelming.”
They clarified that their family does not see themselves as politically motivated, with Jess noting, “We’ve never had disagreements over politics.”
Tom Gorman, Sheridan’s father, shared his ongoing struggle with the implications of local policies regarding immigration. “I find myself wondering every day: Was my daughter a victim of well-intentioned policies or was it just bad policy? Unfortunately, I believe I know the answer.”
Medina-Medina has pleaded not guilty to charges that include murder, attempted murder, and aggravated assault. It was reported that Sheridan encountered him while near the lighthouse, where she alerted friends just before he began chasing the group and ultimately shot her in the back.
In a statement made in March, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker acknowledged “real failures” that contributed to Sheridan’s death, noting that these issues extend beyond Illinois, touching on a nationwide need for comprehensive immigration reform. “Yes, there were failures—far too many. It’s a failure that resonates beyond state lines,” Pritzker stated.
