Prosecutors reveal new details about Loyola student’s killing, suspect’s criminal history
By Stephanie Wade, Maher Kawash, Eric Horng, and Lissette
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CHICAGO (WLS) — Jose Medina’s pretrial detention hearing has been postponed as police say he is still at Illinois Masonic Hospital, being treated for tuberculosis.
Monday’s hearing revealed new details about the shooting he allegedly carried out last week, as well as his criminal history. Meanwhile, local and federal officials say Medina should not have been free on the streets of Chicago.
The Department of Homeland Security says 25-year-old Medina is an undocumented immigrant. He is facing felony charges of first-degree murder and aggravated use of a firearm.
Police say Medina allegedly shot and killed Sheridan Gorman, a Loyola University freshman who was walking in Rogers Park with a group of friends early Thursday.
“Tom and Jessica… the parents of Sheridan are taking this very hard. Tom said to me on the phone, you know, ‘Every parent says that their kid is the best in the world, but mine was,'” said Archdiocese of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.
DHS says Medina has allegedly been living in the country illegally after entering it in 2023. President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on the matter on Monday.
“It’s devastating. These people were let in by Biden. We’re getting them out. We’re getting them out fast. That’s why ICE is so important. They’re doing such a good job,” Trump said.
DHS says Medina remained in Chicago despite being arrested by Border Patrol in 2023. Chicago police later arrested him again in that same year for retail theft charges at a Macy’s store in the city.
Court records show Medina failed to appear for those charges, and that’s when an arrest warrant was issued.
An attorney representing Gorman’s family said in a statement, in part, “We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime… When systems fail — whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act — the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent.”
DHS has now filed an ICE arrest detainer, hoping to place Medina in their custody, so he can be deported. But local officials say he needs to face felony charges in Chicago first.
“This person has to held accountable to the highest extent of the law, which in his case, because he is here illegally, would require him, at some point, to be deported, either to fulfill his sentence or after fulfilling his sentence,” said Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza.
Prosecutors say Medina was hiding near the pier where Gorman and her friends were walking early Thursday.
Witnesses told police that they were suspicious of a man hiding there. An arrest report says witnesses saw Medina walking “with a very distinct and slow gait.”
When the group of friends came upon Medina, who wore a mask and all black clothing, he allegedly fired shots as they ran.
Gorman, who is from New York, was shot in the back and died from her injuries.
After tracking surveillance video, police say, Medina was arrested at his home near North Sheridan Road, just a couple of blocks from the scene.
There, a lobby camera captured him without a mask, and after investigators used facial recognition software, U.S. Customs and Border Protection records returned a match for the Venezuelan national, the arrest report said.
Inside Medina’s apartment, officers allegedly found the clothing he was allegedly wearing during the shooting and a 40-caliber handgun that matched the shell casings found at the scene.
An attorney representing Gorman’s family says they are grateful for the quick work of police, and that this is the first step toward justice for the 18-year-old.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office issued a statement, saying, “Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving the senseless murder of Sheridan Gorman. Violent crime has no place in our streets, and we expect the alleged perpetrator to be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. The Trump Administration needs to stop politicizing heinous tragedies and instead focus on real solutions, like reinstating federal funds to prevent violence that support our public safety efforts.”
Ald. Ray Lopez, who represents the city’s 15th Ward, was in court on Monday. He says this tragedy could have been avoided.
“Because we refuse to amend our laws in a way that makes sense while still allowing us to open up our communities to those who want to be here, who want to make our city and state and country better, a life has been taken,” Lopez said.
Medina is due back in court on Friday morning as long as doctors approve his release from the hospital.
Gorman’s family said they do not want this to be just another case that fades from public attention. Her life mattered, they said, and what happened to her matters.
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