Month: March 2026

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.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Pat Reavy

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    MIDVALE (KSL) — A joyride on the hood of a car on I-215 — apparently all for social media hits that had reached 9 million views as of Tuesday morning — caught the attention of more than just the man’s followers.

After the Utah Highway Patrol saw the video, they tracked the 20-year-old man down and arrested him.

About 7:30 p.m. on March 14, a West Valley man — who describes himself as a “digital creator” on Facebook — posted a video of himself riding on the hood of a moving vehicle on eastbound I-215 between about State Street and Union Park Avenue. The edited video shows the man sitting on the hood, then kneeling with flowers and a ring as if he’s proposing to someone, and lying on the hood while talking on the phone.

His actions are recorded by a camera inside the vehicle.

UHP troopers were made aware of the video on the morning of March 15.

“Based on the recklessness of the male on the hood of the vehicle, troopers believed if he fell off, he could have caused serious injury to others or himself. Troopers then began conducting an investigation into the reckless incident,” a police booking affidavit states.

“Troopers went to the area of 230 East on I-215 South eastbound and located multiple red/orange/yellow flowers that matched the flowers used in the video,” according to the affidavit. They then tracked down the man whose name was on the Facebook profile where the video was posted.

Monday, troopers went to the man’s home and placed him into custody.

“While transporting (the man) to the Salt Lake County Jail, he (said) he made a dumb decision and that riding on the hood was a terrifying situation,” the affidavit alleges.

The man’s car, which had an expired registration, was impounded after troopers “located containers with nicotine pouches inside, an open container of an alcoholic beverage with alcohol inside in the center console, and two unopened alcoholic beverages in the trunk,” the affidavit says.

The man was booked into jail for investigation of several misdemeanor crimes, including reckless endangerment, aggravated disorderly conduct on the highway, having an expired registration, having an open container of alcohol in the car, and being a person under 21 and possessing alcohol.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. ­­­KSL verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.

By Alexander Brunet

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    PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) — The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan says the Taliban have released Dennis Coyle, a Pueblo man detained in Afghanistan in January of 2025.

According to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Coyle was released in the presence of the Taliban foreign ministry and a United States representative for detainee affairs.

The Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs posted a picture of Coyle on a plane holding an American flag on social media.

The post said the following:

Dennis Coyle is on his way home! We remain committed to freeing all Americans wrongfully detained abroad. Today the Taliban took an important step in the right direction, now they must release all remaining Americans immediately, including Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby.

Coyle, 64, was held in “near-solitary conditions, requiring permission to even use the bathroom, and without access to adequate healthcare,” according to his family’s website.

Coyle’s family released the following statement :

Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Dennis’ life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 421 days of our lives.

We are profoundly grateful to President Trump and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. We are also grateful to Dr. Sebastian Gorka, Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler, and Julia Speer. We express our deepest gratitude to acting SPEHA Dustin Stewart and his extraordinary team, especially Paul Ellis for their efforts to help bring Dennis home. The countless hours of negotiations, unwavering support, and determination demonstrated by all involved have not gone unnoticed, and we will forever hold this kindness in our hearts.

To the team that has been by our side to advocate for Dennis’ release – we could not have done this without you. We are overwhelmed by the kindness of Hansel Lee for his tireless advocacy on behalf of Dennis, for his unwavering hard work and hours of time, and for his steadfast counsel to us throughout this ordeal. We thank the NewsNation Family, especially Katie Pavlich and Chris Cuomo, who used their platforms to shed light on Dennis’ plight. Your efforts were instrumental in making his story known, and we would not have been reunited with Dennis were it not for your support. We are grateful for the amazing support from Hostage US as they walked with us through this unfathomable crisis and provided funds and counsel for our advocacy efforts. We also thank the Foley Foundation and Servants International for their support in bringing Dennis home.

To our many champions on the Hill, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch, Senator John Cornyn, Senator Mark Kelly, and Senator John Hickenlooper, also Congressman Abe Hamadeh, Congressman Jeff Hurd, Congressman J. French Hill, and Congressman Jeff Crank – you never gave up on Dennis and are a testament to what we can achieve when we work together across party lines.

We wish to thank Sara Levinson for the work she has done over many years on behalf of so many families who have had their loved ones detained. Your instrumental work in getting the Levinson Act into law put things into motion so that the U.S. Government can put full efforts into bringing wrongfully-detained Americans back home. You also therefore played an important part in seeing Dennis released.

We want to extend our deepest thanks to the President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Government of the United Arab Emirates for their vital role in facilitating Dennis’ release. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and the government of Qatar for their visits to Dennis during his detainment as the United States’ Protecting Power in Afghanistan. Your efforts as mediators, your compassion, and your commitment to diplomacy have given our family the most precious gift imaginable: Dennis’ freedom. We also thank Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad for his contributions and advocacy on behalf of Dennis.

To our friends, neighbours, and everyone who prayed for Dennis’ safe return, called or wrote your Member of Congress, or fueled our advocacy in countless other ways, your support has carried us through the darkest moments. You reminded us that hope endures, even in the face of despair.

While we begin the healing process with Dennis back with us, we remain mindful of the many families who are still waiting for their loved ones to return, including the families of Mahmoud Habibi and Paul Overby. It was our hope that Dennis, Mahmoud Habibi, and Paul Overby would be returned together to their families, and we cannot imagine the pain that our good fortune will bring them. We recognize the immense privilege of our family’s reunion today, and pledge to keep praying and fighting for all Americans held to be swiftly released.

At this time, the family is prioritising Dennis and his well-being. Please allow time for the family to be reunited with Dennis. They may choose to engage with media once they have been reunited.

With endless gratitude and hope, The Family of Dennis Coyle

Statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Note: Islamic Emirate Officials refer to Coyle as “Curry.” This is the phonetic pronunciation of Coyle in Arabic.

“On the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has released an American citizen, Dennis Curry who had been detained for violating the applicable laws of Afghanistan. The detainee’s family had requested his release on the occasion of the blessed days of Eid, based on an appeal for compassion and pardon from the respected leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The respected Supreme Court deemed his previous detention sufficient, and today he was handed over to his family in Kabul. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan states that this action was taken on the basis of humanitarian considerations and goodwill, and expresses hope that such steps can further strengthen an atmosphere of trust between countries. It also expresses hope that both countries will find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue in the future.” – Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan also thanks the brotherly country of the United Arab Emirates for facilitating and cooperating in this matter.” – Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.