Sheridan Gorman’s family is suing Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for murder.
Sheridan Gorman’s family is pushing back against comments from Chicago and Illinois leaders, saying his killing was not a “senseless tragedy” and demanding accountability for what they call a systemic failure.
Gorman, 18, was killed on March 19 around 1:06 a.m. with friends at a bar in downtown Rogers Park. Officials say Jose Medina-Medina, 25, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, allegedly shot and killed a Loyola University student in Chicago.
Medina-Medina was arrested by the US Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and released to the US under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Gorman’s family on Wednesday issued a statement criticizing Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, saying her death “requires accountability.”
“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to a ‘senseless tragedy,’ and it cannot be explained generally in terms of public safety. Sheridan was our daughter. She was 18 years old. She was doing something completely normal – walking around her institution with friends. She should be here,” said the Gorman family about Johnson’s recent comments.
“Calling this ‘senseless’ is not enough. There needs to be a clear and honest account of what went wrong,” the family added. “We will not allow Sheridan’s life to be reduced to a story or a normal thing, we expect a leadership that is willing to face hard facts and ensure that what happened to him does not happen again.”
Gorman’s family also responded to the words of Gov. Pritzker commented on the college student’s death, writing that “calling this a tragedy is not enough.”
“Sheridan’s death cannot be reduced to a general “tragedy”, nor can it be explained by broad reference to failure elsewhere.
DHS
“We are not interested in political arguments or in looking at the transfer of responsibility from one place to another. If there has been a failure – as the Governor himself has admitted – then all of them must be identified, examined, and directed. The place of that failure is less important than the willingness to face it honestly.”
“Our daughter is not a policy debate. It is a life that was taken, and that calls for accountability,” they added.
Pritzker on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration during the event, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know the Gorman family has suffered greatly… There has been a real failure. That failure, it extends beyond the borders of Illinois. That is their failure nationally, the failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, the failure of the president to follow through on his order to follow the worst of the worst,” Pritzker said.
Johnson on Tuesday also addressed Gorman’s death, saying his life was taken because of “senseless violence,” but also called out President Trump.
“There are no words that can adequately comfort a family that has lost their child. My condolences to the Gorman family,” said Johnson. “You know what’s the biggest threat to our public safety, the illegal weapons that are smuggled from the border states that voted for Donald Trump. This president refuses to be held accountable. And he points to everything and points to everyone when compared to doing something to really reflect on what his responsibility is.”
“We know that this president has not taken this situation seriously in this challenge in our country, because my question would be, isn’t it time for the president of the United States of America in Congress to take action and pass a complete immigration reform?” Johnson continued.
“There are no words that can adequately comfort a family that has lost their child. My condolences to the Gorman family,” said Johnson.
In a statement sent by Fox News Digital, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Donald Trump’s immigration policies have kept Americans safe.
“In record time, President Trump has completely secured the border, ended the Biden border crisis, and deported countless dangerous criminal aliens. Those are the real solutions that keep the American people safe. Meanwhile, slobs like Pritzker have been protecting dangerous illegal criminals and trying to obstruct the important work of the Trump Administration. Pritzker’s policies are making Americans less safe,” Jackson said.
Homes in Yorktown Heights, New York, where Gorman was born, were lit up green Tuesday night in honor of the college student who was killed in Chicago. according to CBS News.
An arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital shows that Medina-Medina was seen on security video in the lobby of her apartment waiting for an elevator when she was unmasked after the alleged shooting. The civil engineer told the police that he knew the suspect, “who was limping and walking very differently.”
Police said Medina-Medina was wearing a black mask and black clothing when he left the scene of the shooting, and noted that he was “limp and walking slowly.” He was seen walking away from the scene of the shooting toward Pratt Boulevard at 1:12 a.m. A few minutes later, the man was seen walking north on the east side of Sheridan Street before going into the back of his apartment.
Photos of the suspect were posted on the police website, and US Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina-Medina. He was arrested at his Rogers Park apartment, according to an arrest report.
Medina-Medina told officials in 2023 that he lived in the Leone Beach Park area of Rogers Park in 2023, which was used as a city-sponsored immigrant shelter. The shelter was slated to close in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.
