Gorman family demands accountability from Mayor Johnson, Gov. Pritzker
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Sheridan Gorman’s family is pushing back against comments from Chicago and Illinois leaders who said her killing was not a “senseless tragedy” and demanded accountability for what they called systemic failures.
Gorman, 18, was killed with his friends at a pier in the Rogers Park area of the city at around 01:06 on March 19. Authorities claimed that Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Medina-Medina (25) shot a Loyola University student in Chicago with a single shot, killing him. Medina-Medina was captured by the US Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and released to the US under the Biden administration, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.
The Gorman family released a statement Wednesday criticizing both Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, saying Gorman’s death “requires accountability.”
The Gorman family responded to Johnson’s latest comments, saying, “What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy’ and cannot be explained in general public safety terms. Sheridan was our daughter. She was 18 years old. She was doing something completely normal; she was walking near her campus with her friends. She should have been here.” he said.
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Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman poses with the school’s mascot during a campus event in an undated photo. (via Sheridan G. Gorman on Instagram)
“Calling this ‘senseless’ is not enough. There must be a clear and honest explanation of what went wrong,” the family said. he 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 face the hard truths and ensure that what happened to her never happens again.”
Gorman’s family also responded to Governor Pritzker’s recent comments about the college freshman’s death, writing that “calling this a tragedy is not enough.”
“Sheridan’s death cannot be reduced to a blanket ‘tragedy’ or explained by broad references to failures elsewhere. Sheridan was a daughter, a sister, and a young woman whose life was taken from her in a way that should never have been possible,” the family said. he said. “We are not interested in political debates or watching responsibility shift from one place to another. If there are failures—as the Governor acknowledges—then each of them must be directly identified, examined, and addressed. The location of those failures is less important than the willingness to confront them honestly.”
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DHS confirmed that Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan citizen, was also arrested on a theft charge and was released before the alleged murder. (DHS)
“Our daughter is not a policy debate. She is a life that has been taken and requires responsibility,” they added.
Pritzker placed the blame on the Trump administration during an event on Tuesday. Chicago Tribune.
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“This was a terrible tragedy, and I know the Gorman family has suffered greatly… There have been real failures. These failures, of course, extend beyond Illinois’ borders. This is their national failure, the failure to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, the president’s failure to follow his own edict to pursue the worst of the worst,” Pritzker said.
On Tuesday, Johnson also addressed Gorman’s death, saying her life was taken by “senseless violence” but also called out President Trump.
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Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a rally in Chicago on October 18, 2025. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
“There are no words that can properly console a family who lost their baby. I also offer my condolences to the Gorman family,” Johnson said. “You know what the biggest threat to our public safety is, illegal guns smuggled from border states that voted for Donald Trump. This president refuses to be held accountable. And instead of making a real self-assessment of what his responsibility is, he’s pointing fingers at everything and everyone.”
“We know that this president is not taking this seriously in this challenge in our country, because my question would be: Isn’t it time for the president of the United States to actually take action in Congress and pass comprehensive immigration reform?” Johnson continued.
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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (center) speaks in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“There are no words that can properly console a family who lost their baby. I also offer my condolences to the Gorman family,” Johnson said.
White House Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump’s immigration policies keep Americans safe.
“In record time, President Trump has fully secured the border, ended Biden’s border crisis, and deported countless dangerous criminal illegal aliens. These are the real solutions that keep the American people safe. Meanwhile, goons like Pritzker have consistently defended dangerous criminal illegal aliens and tried to obstruct the important work of the Trump Administration. Pritzker’s policies are making the American people less safe,” Jackson said.
Houses in Gorman’s hometown of Yorktown Heights, New York, were painted green Tuesday night to remember the slain Chicago college student. accordingly CBS News.
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A green porch light shines on a home in honor of Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola student who was killed Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Yorktown Heights, New York. Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago last week, allegedly by an illegal immigrant. (Fox News Digital)
A green porch light shines on a home in honor of Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola student who was killed Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Yorktown Heights, New York. Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago last week, allegedly by an illegal immigrant. (Fox News Digital)
A green porch light shines on a home in honor of Sheridan Gorman, the Loyola student who was killed Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Yorktown Heights, New York. Gorman was shot and killed in Chicago last week, allegedly by an illegal immigrant. (Fox News Digital)
An arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital shows Medina-Medina was seen on security video waiting for an elevator in the lobby of his apartment building without a mask after the alleged shooting. A civil engineer told police he recognized the suspect, who “was limping and walking very distinctly.”
Police said Medina-Medina was wearing a black mask and black clothing as he walked away from the shooting and noted that he had a “marked limp and slow gait.” He was seen walking towards Pratt Boulevard from where he was shot at 1:12 a.m. Just a few minutes later, the individual was seen walking north down the east alley of Sheridan Road before entering the rear of the apartment complex.
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According to reports, Sheridan Gorman was shot in the head around 1 a.m. Thursday while walking with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, less than a mile from the Illinois campus. (via Sheridan G. Gorman on Instagram)
Images of the suspect were sent to the 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 authorities in 2023 that she was living at the Leone Beach Park field house in Rogers Park, which was used as a city-sponsored shelter for immigrants. The shelter closes in 2024 South Side Weekly.
Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson and Pritzker’s office.
