Loyola Student Murder Suspect Identified as Venezuelan Illegal Immigrant

DHS has named the suspect in the student’s fatal shooting, with ICE requesting a detainer to ensure the suspect remains in custody pending legal proceedings.

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The suspect in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman in Chicago is an illegal alien, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Sunday.

In a media release, DHS identified the suspect as Jose Medina-Medina, who is Venezuelan.

Gorman, a New York native, was walking with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach park early Thursday morning, around 1 a.m. local time when she was allegedly approached by Medina-Medina, who was wearing a mask. As Gorman attempted to flee, Medina-Medina allegedly fired his gun and shot her. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Loyola President Mark Reed said in a message to students and faculty: “It is with profound sadness that I write to share that one of our students, Sheridan Gorman, was killed earlier today in an incident north of the Lake Shore Campus. This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her.”

Detainer Request Filed

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged an arrest detainer requesting local law enforcement not to release Medina-Medina, according to the DHS statement.

DHS said that the suspect was initially apprehended on May 9, 2023, by the U.S. Border Patrol and released into the country under the prior Biden administration. Medina-Medina was released again on June 19, 2023, after being arrested for shoplifting in Chicago.

“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.

“She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder.

“We are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.”

Pritzker said in an X post: “Sheridan Gorman’s murder is a tragedy—and the person responsible must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. My deepest condolences to the family, friends, and Loyola University community grieving this devastating loss.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to Pritzker’s office for comment on the DHS statement.

Honoring ICE Detainers

An ICE detainer is a request from the agency that local, state, or federal law enforcement notify ICE before releasing a removable immigrant. The request is sent to jails, prisons, and other confinement facilities.

Illinois had released 1,768 criminal illegal aliens, accused of crimes ranging from homicide and burglary to serious drug offenses and sexual predatory offenses, back into the community in 2025, DHS said on Dec. 8, 2025. There were 4,015 aliens in the custody of an Illinois jurisdiction with an active detainer at that time, DHS said.

New York is one of the other states with a high number of pending ICE arrest detainer requests. There are currently 7,113 illegal immigrants in the custody of various New York jurisdictions with active detainers.

On Friday, DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that February was the 10th consecutive month of zero releases at the border.

“February marks the tenth straight month that U.S. Border Patrol has not released a single illegal alien into the interior of the United States— a clear reflection of the enforcement-first posture restoring integrity to our nation’s borders,” CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said.

Encounters in fiscal year 2026 were, in total, 40 percent lower than in February 2024 alone, according to the statement.