The illegal immigrant charged in the killing of a Loyola University Chicago student entered the United States during the Biden administration and was later released into the country after being apprehended at the southern border, according to the Department of Homeland Security, as reported by Fox News.
Jose Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago.
Authorities said Medina-Medina was formally charged Sunday by the Chicago Police Department and is facing six felony charges, including one count of first-degree murder.
JUST IN: DHS CONFIRMS that a Venezuelan illegal alien Jose Medina-Medina has been arrested for brutally m*rdering Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman in Chicago, per @BillMelugin_
He was allowed into our country under BIDEN IN 2023, and Democrats RELEASED him after… pic.twitter.com/y3ITb8OraS
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 22, 2026
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According to police, the charges include one count of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault involving the discharge of a firearm, and one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon.
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DHS confirmed that Medina-Medina was first apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, before being released into the United States.
The agency said he was later arrested in Chicago on June 19, 2023, for shoplifting and released again prior to the alleged murder.
“Jose Medina-Medina was previously released after an arrest for shoplifting in Chicago,” DHS said.
Following his arrest in the homicide case, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an arrest detainer and called on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago officials not to release Medina-Medina from custody.
“Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
“We are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods.”
According to Chicago Police Department sources, Medina-Medina is currently being quarantined for a potentially contagious condition, possibly tuberculosis.
Authorities said the shooting occurred on Thursday and was described by a police source as an apparent ambush.
The suspect was reportedly wearing a mask or face covering at the time of the attack. Medina-Medina is believed to have been living in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood.
Investigators have recovered a firearm believed to be connected to the shooting and are awaiting the results of a gunshot residue test, according to sources.
As previously reported, Gorman, who was from Westchester County, New York, was walking with a group of friends along the Chicago lakefront when a gunman approached and opened fire.
Police said she was shot in the head as she attempted to flee. She was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
Authorities said the suspect was identified shortly after the shooting, in part due to a distinct limp, according to local records. The investigation remains ongoing.
One month before Medina-Medina was apprehended at the border in 2023, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified before Congress regarding border security.
“It is my testimony that the border is secure,” Mayorkas said.
Gorman’s family released a statement following her death.
“We are again faced with the unbearable truth: our daughter’s life was taken, and our family will never be the same,” the family said.
“Sheridan was the heart of our family. She had a rare ability to bring people together—to make others feel included, understood, and loved. She lived with intention, with faith, and with a kindness that defined who she was every single day. She was just beginning her journey, with so much ahead of her.”
The family added, “Three days ago, our lives were shattered in a way no family should ever have to endure.”
Chicago Alderwoman Maria Hadden told Fox 32 Chicago that the incident appeared to be a case of the victim being in the “wrong place at the wrong time.”
“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.”
“They might have unintentionally startled this person at the end of the pier,” she added. “We don’t believe there is cause for broader community concern.”
The office of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not issued a response regarding the detainer request.
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