A Venezuelan illegal immigrant released into the U.S. now faces murder charges in the shooting death of a Loyola University Chicago student, triggering a fight over sanctuary policies.
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, was taken into custody after investigators tied him to the killing of 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman.
Authorities allege he closed in on her in dark clothing and a mask, then fired a single shot as she tried to get away.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Medina crossed the border illegally in May 2023 and was later released into the country.
The attack happened shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday as Gorman and friends walked out to view the Northern Lights.
Gunfire broke the moment they reached the area. She tried to flee but was hit and pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was wounded.
Police zeroed in on Medina using video and a noticeable limp flagged in footage, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Additional video captured him inside a nearby apartment building without a mask, helping detectives lock in the identification. Authorities believe he had been staying in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Investigators recovered a firearm they believe was used in the shooting and are awaiting gunshot residue results.
Chicago police on Sunday filed six felony charges, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, multiple counts of aggravated assault tied to gunfire, and unlawful weapon possession.
Records show Medina had prior run-ins with law enforcement after an alleged Macy’s theft in June 2023.
He did not show up for court, leading a judge to issue a warrant that remained active months later.
Federal officials are now urging Illinois authorities to keep him behind bars. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer, though local officials are not expected to honor it under existing sanctuary rules.
“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. 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,” Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said.
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“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,” Bis continued.
City officials struck a more restrained tone as concerns spread. Ald. Maria Hadden told Fox 32 Chicago the case does not appear tied to a wider threat and framed it as an isolated encounter.
“The kids were out doing normal things people do in the neighborhood,” Hadden said. “They may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, running into a person who had a gun.”
She added the group may have startled the suspect near the end of a pier and stressed there is no sign of ongoing danger to the community.
Gorman’s family rejected that explanation and pushed back on the idea the killing was random chance.
“What happened to Sheridan cannot be reduced to the idea of someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” the family said.
“This is not an abstraction. This is the loss of a daughter. The loss of a sister. The loss of a future filled with milestones that will now never come. Our family is forever changed.”
“What Sheridan was doing that night—walking with friends near her campus—was normal. It was safe. It is what students do every day. We will not allow this to be dismissed as ‘wrong place, wrong time.’ This was not random misfortune. This was a violent and preventable act,” they added.
After learning the suspect’s background, the family called for accountability as the case moves toward arraignment.
“As the case moves forward toward arraignment, the family has been informed that the suspect is a Venezuelan national and additional information is expected to be released. We are again faced with the unbearable truth: our daughter’s life was taken, and our family will never be the same,” the statement continued.
“We recognize that the arraignment represents a formal step in the justice process, and we appreciate the work of law enforcement in bringing the case to this point. But for our family, this is not about a process—it is about accountability, and it is about ensuring that Sheridan’s life is not reduced to just another case moving through the system.”
The statement also addressed Medina’s prior record. “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.,” the statement continued.
Authorities also confirmed Medina is being isolated over a possible contagious illness, believed to be tuberculosis, according to police sources. He has since been transferred to a hospital for treatment and will not appear at his court hearing.
A separate killing by an illegal immigrant in Virginia is drawing fresh attention to enforcement breakdowns.
Fairfax County officers found 42-year-old Stephanie Minter with multiple stab wounds inside a bus shelter along Richmond Highway on Feb. 23. First responders attempted lifesaving measures, but she died at the scene.
Video from the area showed Minter leaving a bus with 32-year-old Abdul Jalloh shortly before the attack, placing him as the final known contact.
He was later picked up at a nearby liquor store after an employee reported a theft to 911. Detectives later connected him to the stabbing, and he now faces a second-degree murder charge while being held without bond.
Jalloh’s record includes repeated arrests for violent and drug-related offenses, though many cases did not move forward.
He was booked on a forcible rape charge in 2018 that was later dropped. That same year, a felony charge tied to gunfire into a building was reduced, leading to a short jail term and probation.
In January 2023, prosecutors did not pursue a malicious wounding case due to lack of victim cooperation.
Weeks later, he was arrested again on a similar charge that was reduced, resulting in a two-year sentence with only seven months served.
Later arrests sparked a probation violation, but prosecutors agreed to re-suspend the remaining time and end supervision altogether, according to court documents cited by NBC Washington.
Laura Birnbaum, chief of staff for the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, said Jalloh frequently targeted vulnerable victims.
“Unfortunately, the defendant in this case also had a history of selecting victims with no fixed address – some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Birnbaum said.
“Our office convicted the defendant of a 2023 malicious wounding charge, and we have since made every effort to hold him accountable each subsequent time that he has come in contact with the criminal justice system, including asking him to be held pretrial and on a probation violation,” she added.
DHS confirmed Jalloh entered the U.S. illegally in 2012 from Sierra Leone. ICE issued a detainer in 2020 and secured a removal order, yet he remained free through multiple arrests.
“We are calling on Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE,” Bis said.
