Sheridan Gorman’s family demands accountability after her murder

Gorman’s family demands full prosecution as the murder charges, an ICE detainer and Illinois’ limits on cooperation with federal agents keep immigration policy in the case.

Sheridan Gorman was fatally shot while walking with friends at Rogers Park’s Tobey Prinz Beach on March 19, according to Chicago police. Police charged Jose Medina with first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm¹.

“to the fullest extent of both state and federal law,”

Gorman’s family

Gorman’s family demanded prosecution “to the fullest extent of both state and federal law,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The family pointed to failures in release decisions, coordination and willingness to act: “The consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent”¹

Those release decisions became central to the immigration-policy dispute: DHS said Border Patrol apprehended Medina in May 2023 and released him, and said he was released again on June 19 after a shoplifting arrest in Chicago. ICE issued an arrest detainer after Gorman’s killing. The Sun-Times reported that Illinois’ TRUST Act generally bars police from sharing information with immigration agents or transferring people in custody without a federal criminal warrant¹.

The daughter at the center of that dispute was 18, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago^{[2](https://news.halstonmedia.com/stories/yorktown-high-school-sheridan-gorman-heart-of-yorktown-cup, 98437)}.

In the prosecution her family demanded, Medina pleaded not guilty on April 29, ABC7 Chicago reported³. The Cook County sheriff’s office reported in May that he remained in jail awaiting trial and faced an additional contraband charge after officers recovered a shank⁴. In a statement reported by the Sun-Times, Gorman’s family said, “Accountability must be complete.”

Sheridan Gorman’s family demands accountability after her murder

Sources