Prosecutors revealed that the illegal immigrant accused of killing a Loyola University Chicago student was hiding behind a lighthouse before running toward the group of friends she was with, firing his weapon, which left Sheridan Gorman dead.
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, allegedly killed Gorman while she was with friends on a pier on March 19 just after 1 a.m., according to officials. Medina-Medina, the suspect in Gorman’s murder, entered the country illegally on May 9, 2023, and was apprehended then released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Prosecutors revealed in court on Friday that Gorman was with her friends at a Rogers Park pier when she looked around the lighthouse and saw Medina-Medina there. Gorman then walked back towards her friends and mouthed “there’s a man behind the lighthouse,” at which point Medina-Medina began chasing them. Gorman’s friends’ called 911 twice.
While the group of people were running away, prosecutors said Medina-Medina was shot in the upper back. Her friends kept running until they found a place to hide, then went back to check on Gorman, who was unresponsive.
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While Medina-Medina was in Colombia, he was shot in the head, which resulted in the loss of a portion of his brain and skull, leaving him to relearn basic functions, his attorney said. Medina-Medina’s attorney said that he has the brain development of a child and cannot read or write.
Medina-Medina’s attorney also said that he suffers from epilepsy and still has bullet fragments lodged in his brain. The murder suspect turned himself in at the Texas border in 2023, where he was held in detention before being released. His attorney said that Medina-Medina requested to be sent back to Colombia, where his mother had moved to, but was transported by bus to Chicago.
During Medina-Medina’s time in a shelter, he contracted tuberculosis, according to his attorney.
Members of the Gorman family along with friends of the slain college student were present at the court hearing via Zoom, where a judge held Medina-Medina to be detained pending trial.
Criminal defense attorney David Gaeger told Fox News Digital that the judge was “deservingly harsh” on Medina-Medina, noting that even if the defense was open to the suspect being released into ICE custody, a judge wouldn’t allow it. Immigration officials filed an immigration detainer for Medina-Medina.
A detention hearing for Medina-Medina was scheduled for Monday, but was postponed until Friday as court officials said he was being treated for tuberculosis. He’s facing charges of murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and illegal possession of a weapon.
A Cook County Sheriff’s Office spokesman told Fox News Digital Friday that Medina-Medina was in the medical division of its jail. He was at a local hospital earlier in the week before being transferred to the jail.
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Criminal defense attorney Donna Rotunno told Fox News Digital the decision to postpone Medina-Medina’s hearing on Monday was likely made by the Cook County Sheriff’s Department and medical personnel.
A native of Yorktown Heights, New York, Gorman attended Yorktown High School and was described in an obituary as someone who “had a way of making people feel seen, valued, and believed in.”
“People often say someone ‘lit up a room’ or had ‘inner and outer beauty,’ but in Sheridan’s case, those phrases fall way too short. She radiated something even greater—a rare and unmistakable warmth, a spirit that was vibrant, compassionate, and full of life. She was funny, kind, and deeply loving, with a heart that made space for everyone,” her obituary states. “She loved fiercely—her family, her friends, her community, and her faith. She brought people together, lifted them up, and made the ordinary moments feel extraordinary simply by being in them.”
In a statement ahead of Friday’s hearing, Gorman’s family said the shooting doesn’t change the way they view Loyola University Chicago, where Sheridan was a freshman.
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“We have been asked whether this tragedy changes how we view Loyola University Chicago. The answer is absolutely not. Sheridan and our family love Loyola,” the family wrote. “We’ve also been asked whether students should feel safe there. The answer is yes. Sheridan chose Loyola because she felt at home there. She was happy, she was thriving, and she felt safe in that community. That was our experience as her parents as well.”
“What happened to Sheridan was not a reflection of the Loyola community. It was the result of a failure outside of it,” the family added.
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A police source told Fox News earlier that the shooting was an apparent ambush, adding that the suspect was reportedly wearing some kind of face mask or covering.
An arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital states that, after the shooting, Medina-Medina was captured on security video in his apartment building lobby waiting for an elevator and wasn’t masked. A building engineer told police he knew the suspect who had a “very distinct limp and gait.”
Pictures of the suspect’s face were sent to a police database, and information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina-Medina.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital show that Medina-Medina told officials he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants. Medina-Medina was arrested in 2023 and charged with shoplifting after he allegedly stole just over $130 in merchandise from a Macy’s in downtown Chicago. He failed to appear for court hearings related to that case, and an arrest warrant remained active until the alleged murder.
Fox News’ Philip Bodinet and Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
