Parents of Loyola student Sheridan Gorman shot dead in Chicago vow to "get justice" as suspect pleads not guilty
The parents of Loyola University Chicago freshman Sheridan Gorman faced her accused killer in court for the first time on Wednesday, as they vowed to "get justice" for their daughter and spoke out about what they called failures that allowed her death to happen.
"Our family will be here every single step of the way," said Sheridan's father, Thomas Gorman. "Make no mistake about it, Sheridan's death was not just a senseless tragedy, it was preventable."
Gorman's parents, in town from New York, stood alongside family and friends at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Wednesday, holding photos of their daughter from all ages of her life, as her accused killer, Jose Medina, appeared for an arraignment hearing.
Medina, 26, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon and a federal gun possession charge for the shooting that killed Gorman on Rogers Park pier on March 19.
Police have said Medina jumped out of the bushes that night and opened fire on Gorman and her friends as they ran away.
At a brief arraignment hearing Wednesday, Medina pled not guilty to all charges through a Spanish language interpreter. His formal arraignment had been delayed multiple times as he was treated in custody for tuberculosis and other medical problems.
Medina has been in the custody of the Cook County Sheriff's office since he was charged on March 23, largely while being treated at Cermak Hospital at the Cook County Jail, at the request of both the defense and prosecution. Medina's attorney said he was one of the Venezuelan migrants bused to Chicago from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbot starting in 2022. He had been in the U.S. with his mother on asylum, his attorney said.
Gorman's parents arrived with a large group of supporters to attend the hearing, then spoke briefly afterwards.
"Today is a step forward," her father, Thomas Gorman, said. "But let's not pretend it's anything more than that. An arraignment is not justice, it's the beginning of a long process and our family will be here every step of the way until there is accountability for what was done to our daughter Sheridan."
Medina's attorney has said he grew up in Venezuela and moved to Colombia after his mother relocated there following a sexual assault, and he was attacked and shot in the head in a 2018 robbery in Colombia.
The shooting caused severe brain damage and left him disabled, with stunted brain development and problems with both short and long term memory, his attorney said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina entered the United States illegally in 2023. His attorney has said he was placed in a detention center in Texas and requested to be returned to Colombia, but instead was sent on a bus to Chicago and placed in a migrant shelter where he contracted tuberculosis.
Later that same year, court documents show Medina was arrested for retail theft at the Macy's store on State Street in downtown Chicago, and was released on bond.
Police said he later failed to appear in court twice, leading to a warrant for his arrest, one that was still active at the time he allegedly shot and killed Sheridan Gorman.
Thomas Gorman thanked prosecutors and law enforcement for arresting and charging Medina in his daughter's death, but said "gratitude does not erase what happened."
"She is gone because systems that are supposed to protect the public did not do their job," he said.
He denounced the use of his daughter's death by politicians and for political purposes, declaring, "This is not about politics for us, this is about responsibility."
"We are not interested in slogans, we are not interested in political spin, we are interested in one thing: that this does not happen to another family," Thomas Gorman said.
He described the void left in their lives after his daughter's death.
"Let me tell you what this actually looks like. It's an empty seat the table, it's silence where there used to be laughter, it's waking up every day knowing that your child is gone, and nothing is going to change that.
He also said they want accountability both in the courtroom and "from those responsible for enforcing the laws that already exist" along with "real, meaningful change that puts policy over politics."
Medina is due back in court on June 1. The Gorman family said they plan to be in Chicago for all of Medina's court appearances, and will fight for systemic change in hopes this doesn't happen to another family-
"Our daughter was beautiful on the inside and out. She really mattered. We're going to get justice for her," her mother said.