U.S. News
Chicago Student Killing Raises Questions About Released Migrant Suspect
Clear Facts
- Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan migrant, faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of 18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman.
- DHS said Medina-Medina entered the U.S. in May 2023 and was later released despite a subsequent arrest for shoplifting.
- The suspect reportedly had a potentially contagious condition, believed to be tuberculosis, and was accused of carrying out an unprovoked attack.
The death of Sheridan Gorman, a New York native who had just started her freshman year in Chicago, has drawn scrutiny to the suspect’s immigration and release history. Medina-Medina was reportedly apprehended by Border Patrol after entering the country and later released before the Chicago arrest.
Federal officials and Gorman’s family are calling on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago leaders to end sanctuary policies and keep the suspect in custody. The shooting happened as Gorman walked with friends along the lakefront.
“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“We are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods,” she said.
The family said Sheridan was the heart of their home and had a rare gift for making others feel included and loved. They said their lives were shattered in a way no family should ever have to endure.
ICE has lodged a detainer against Medina-Medina as the case moves forward. The incident has renewed debate over border enforcement and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
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