An undocumented Venezuelan migrant has been identified as the suspect in connection with the shooting death of Loyola University student, Sheridan Gorman.
According to NBC 5, Chicago authorities on Friday charged 25-year-old Jose G. Medina with murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault/discharge of a firearm (three counts), and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police said a masked man, later identified as Medina, began shooting while at the Tobey Prinz Beach pier, near the school’s Chicago campus, just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
Median allegedly approached the group on foot, took out a gun, and opened fire, striking 18-year-old Gorman, who had been walking with a group of friends. She was not an intended target and police labeled the shooting as random.
She died at the scene.
Following the shooting, security footage showed Medina with a “distinct limp and gait” at a Rogers Park apartment. Police found him with a firearm and took him into custody.
On Sunday, the US Department of Homeland stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement “lodged an arrest detainer,” since Medina entered the country illegally.
A judge subsequently ordered Medina to remain behind bars.
WFIN reports that in May 2023, the the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended Medina, but released him under the Biden administration. A few months later, he was released again, following a shoplifting arrest in Chicago.
“We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime,” a statement by Gorman’s family read, in part.
“When systems fail—whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act—the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent.”
Medina had been scheduled to appear in court Monday at the Cook County Courthouse, but didn’t attend the hearing due to hospitalization for an tuberculosis.
He’s expected in court Friday.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Sheridan Gorman/Handout]
