Sheridan Gorman killing: Accused Venezuelan immigrant Jose Medina appears in court over Rogers Park shooting

On March 19 at Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park, 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago freshman Sheridan Gorman was shot in the back and later died, and on Friday 25-year-old Venezuelan immigrant Jose Medina made his first court appearance on charges stemming from the attack, prosecutors said.

Assistant State's Attorney Mike Pekara told the court that Medina allegedly hid near the end of the pier, jumped out wearing a black ski mask and fired one round as Gorman and friends ran for cover. Gorman collapsed and was pronounced dead at a hospital after officers found a single shell casing and two classmates hiding on the pier, Pekara said.

Detectives tied surveillance video to Medina's fourth-floor apartment, showing him leave about 20 minutes before the shooting wearing a mask and walking with a distinctive limp. During a search warrant police found a gun wrapped in a ski mask, a leg brace with his name and clothes matching the footage, Pekara said. Medina was arrested at the apartment and had an outstanding 2023 shoplifting warrant.

Medina appeared virtually Friday from the Cook County Jail medical unit because he is being treated for tuberculosis, Cook County Assistant Public Defender Julie Koehler said. Koehler asked Judge D'Anthony Thedford to keep Medina jailed to avoid a potential ICE detainer; Thedford ordered him detained at the prosecutors' request.

Koehler also disclosed that Medina suffered a prior gunshot wound to the head in Colombia that left him with a developmental disability and an indentation on his skull; she said he came to Chicago in 2023 after being detained at the Texas border. Medina's mother identified him in surveillance video, Pekara said.

Gorman's family issued a statement noting sympathy for Medina's background but stressing Sheridan's life and loss. The killing has drawn national attention and criticism from conservatives and President Donald Trump, who blamed federal immigration policy. Medina is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm; he remains jailed as the investigation and pretrial proceedings continue.