Chicago Police have officially charged a 25-year-old man with first-degree murder.
The charges follow the fatal shooting of a Loyola University student last Thursday.
According to Chicago Police, Jose Medina of Chicago was taken into custody Friday evening.
The arrest occurred in the Rogers Park neighborhood where the shooting took place.
Investigators identified the victim as 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman.
Gorman was a freshman at Loyola University and a native of New York.
She was walking with a group of friends near Tobey Prinz Beach around 1 a.m.
The beach is located less than one mile from the university campus.
A male suspect reportedly approached the group on foot and opened fire.
Gorman was struck in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.
Police officials stated that the young student was not the intended target of the gunfire.
No other injuries were reported among the group of friends.
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement Sunday regarding the suspect’s status.
According to DHS, Medina is an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela.
Records show Medina entered the United States illegally in 2023.
He was also arrested in Chicago later that same year for shoplifting.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an arrest detainer for Medina.
Federal authorities requested that he remain in custody due to his immigration status.
Medina is scheduled to appear in court on Monday for a pre-trial detention hearing.
The family of Sheridan Gorman released a statement following the announcement of the charges.
They described the 18-year-old student as “the light of our lives.”
The family thanked the Chicago Police Department for their quick work in making an arrest.
However, they emphasized that this arrest is only the first step toward true justice.
Gorman’s relatives called the shooting a “violent and preventable act.”
They expressed grave disappointment in the policies they say allowed the suspect to remain free.
The family stated that “systems failed” by allowing the individual to be in a position to commit this crime.
Gorman was just months away from completing her first year of college.
Services to honor her life are being planned for next week in Yorktown, New York.
Her family insists that Sheridan’s life must not be just another case that fades from public attention.
