Illinois victim’s father warns of more deaths over immigration policy

The father of a 20-year-old woman killed by an illegal immigrant in Illinois is warning that more innocent people will die if policies don’t change following the death of Sheridan Gorman.

Sheridan Gorman, 18, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was shot and killed March 19 while she was with a group of friends at the Rogers Park pier. The suspect in her death, 25-year-old Jose Medina-Medina, is an illegal immigrant who the Department of Homeland Security says entered the country in 2023 and was captured and released to the United States under the Biden administration.

At a hearing Friday, prosecutors said Gorman found Medina-Medina hiding behind a lighthouse. When he warned his friends about the man behind the lighthouse, Medina-Medina began chasing them, and that’s when the man fired the gun, hitting Gorman in the upper back, prosecutors said.

In January 2025, Joe Abraham’s daughter Katie died in a 2025 hit-and-run crash involving an illegal immigrant in Urbana, Illinois. Katie Abraham died when illegal immigrant Julio Cucul-Bol crashed into her car and left the scene. Cucul-Bol was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

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Joe Abraham told Fox News Digital that more victims will die if Illinois doesn’t change its immigration policies.

“I’m speaking out because I know there will be more deaths and more victims. Not everyone dies, but there are innocent victims every day. That’s why I’m speaking out. Because these policies are so reckless, so radical, so extreme,” he said. “There’s no balance in this. There’s no consideration of anything.”

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Katie Abraham died when the car she was traveling in was hit by an illegal immigrant drunk driver. (Joe Abraham)

He said the killings of Gorman and her daughter, Katie Abraham, were “very parallel” and showed how immigration policy in Illinois needs to change.

“One was a clear-cut murder rampage. The other was a reckless person using his influence to drive the car. But the difference is they were both violent. Both were done by people who shouldn’t be here. These were done by people who clearly weren’t here to better their lives,” Joe Abraham said. “It’s clear these are being committed by people with serious illnesses, as in Katie’s case. Her killer has HIV and is currently receiving treatment because he’s incarcerated, but Illinois has done nothing to help him.”

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Joe Abraham says his daughter is a “beautiful person” with a “sharp mind.”

“He was so friendly. His personality was so engaging, he made everyone feel seen, heard, cared for, compassionate and fair-minded. He loved the water. He was a water polo player. He was a competitive swimmer. He did that all through high school. He had his whole life ahead of him. And you know, he was soaked in every bit of life like a sponge, and he was only 20 years old. We still had so many plans ahead of us, you know, because they got blown away because of them. Reckless policies,” he added.

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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)

Similarly, Gorman was described in an obituary as someone who “made people feel seen, valued and believed.”

“People often say that someone ‘lights up a room’ or has ‘beauty inside and out,’ but in Sheridan’s case those phrases fall far too short. She radiated something even greater; a rare and unmistakable warmth, a spirit that was vibrant, compassionate, and full of life. Funny, kind, and deeply loving, she had a heart that made room for everyone,” her obituary states. “He fiercely loved his family, his friends, his community, and his faith. He brought people together, lifted them up, and made ordinary moments feel extraordinary just by being in them.”

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A general view of Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park, Chicago, IL., Monday, March 23, 2026. Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman was fatally shot on the pier on Thursday, March 19, 2026. (Fox News Digital’s Kamil Krzaczynski)

A police source previously told Fox News that the attack was an apparent ambush, adding that the suspect was reportedly wearing some type of face mask or shield.

After the conflict, Medina-Medina was seen on the security camera waiting for the elevator in the apartment lobby and without a mask. A civil engineer told police he recognized the suspect, who “was limping and walking very distinctly.”

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In memory of Loyola University freshman Sheridan Gorman, flowers are placed at the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park, Chicago, IL, Monday, March 23, 2026. Gorman was fatally shot at the pier on March 19, 2026. (Fox News Digital’s Kamil Krzaczynski)

Images of the suspect’s face were sent to the police database, and information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina-Medina.

His lawyer said Medina-Medina was shot in the head while in Colombia after his mother moved with him from Venezuela to Colombia, resulting in the loss of his brain and part of his skull and requiring him to relearn basic functions. Medina-Medina’s lawyer said that he had the brain development of a child and could not read or write.

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Medina-Medina’s lawyer also said that he had epilepsy and that there were still bullet fragments in his brain. The murder suspect surrendered at the Texas border in 2023 and was detained there before being released. Medina-Medina asked to be deported back to Colombia, where her mother had moved, but was transferred by bus to Chicago, her lawyer said.

According to his lawyer’s statement, he contracted tuberculosis during his stay in the Medina-Medina shelter.