Parents of Slain Loyola Freshman Demand Justice in 'Preventable Murder'

CHICAGO — Thomas and Jessica Gorman, parents of slain Loyola University Chicago freshman Sheridan Gorman, spoke publicly for the first time in an emotional CBS News interview, labeling their 18-year-old daughter's March 19 death a 'preventable murder.'[1][2] Around 1:30 a.m., Sheridan was walking with friends along Lake Michigan, a block and a half from campus, hoping to view the northern lights when she encountered a masked gunman at the end of a pier.[1][4] She was shot in the back and neck after advancing about 40 feet, dying at the scene, while her warning likely saved her friends, her family said.[1] Chicago police arrested 26-year-old Jose Medina, a Venezuelan national living in the U.S. illegally, on charges including first-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm.[1][4] Medina, who has not yet entered a plea, faces 20 years to life if convicted and is scheduled for arraignment next week.[1][4] The shooting appeared random, police said, but the Gormans highlighted Medina's prior arrest for a nonviolent crime and demanded to know why federal, state and local authorities failed to act on his immigration status.[1][3] 'He had the mental capacity to buy a gun, wear a mask and wait,' Jessica Gorman told CBS, rejecting descriptions of the killing as a 'senseless tragedy.'[1] Thomas Gorman called for better cooperation between governments: 'When someone commits a crime and they've been here illegally, there needs to be cooperation.'[1] The parents expressed profound grief, saying the heartbreak was one they 'did not know existed.'[4] The Trump administration has invoked Sheridan's death to advocate for stricter immigration enforcement, though the Gormans insist they want no politicization, only accountability to prevent other families' suffering.[1][4][5] Loyola University, where Sheridan was a freshman, has not publicly commented beyond condolences, as the case draws national scrutiny on urban safety and border policies.[1][3]