Family of Loyola student Sheridan Gorman killed in Chicago shooting visits Rogers Park pier where she died
As Chicago police continue to search for who shot Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman, her family visited the Rogers Park pier where she was killed.
Gorman, 18, was walking with friends early Thursday morning when a masked gunman approached the group and opened fire. She was struck in the head and died at the scene.
The shooting happened near the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach, not far from Loyola's lakefront campus in Rogers Park.
Friday, Gorman's family visited the spot where she died and the memorial that has sprung up there, as they try to make sense of the tragedy.
Loyola staff members and members of the community also paid their respects at the site, bringing flowers to honor Gorman's memory.
Family members also tossed flowers into Lake Michigan in the teen's memory. Last night, her family and Loyola students attended a vigil at Madonna della Strada Chapel on Loyola campus.
"I think there's a sense of disbelief in the community," junior Alexander Bian said. "It's just a communal tragedy really. No one wants to see someone from our student body die let alone a freshman who just got here at 18. Just immensely sad really."
Bian lives in an apartment building next to the beach where the shooting happened. His neighbors and roommates overheard the commotion from the shooting.
"They heard a little bit of arguing and then like, maybe, a shot and then 10, 15 minutes later they heard screaming," he said. "From what we gathered they probably didn't realize their friend had been shot until after. Yeah. It's tragic to think about really."
The Gorman family issued a statement, writing in part, "She lived her faith with kindness, compassion, and joy, and she loved her family and friends deeply. We trusted that she would be safe. That trust was broken. Someone made a deliberate choice that stole our daughter and forever changed our family."
The family is now demanding answers and said they won't stop until the person responsible for Sheridan' death is identified and brought to justice.
Officials with the New York governor's office are coordinating with Chicago and Illinois officials to help support the family.
There are extra police patrols across campus and along the nearby lakefront. Investigators continue to say the shooting was random.
The CPD investigation is ongoing and no one is in custody.
Full Statement from the Gorman Family
Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago. There is no way to soften this—this was murder. Sheridan was the light of our lives. She made people feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was. She lived her faith with kindness, compassion, and joy, and she loved her family and friends deeply. We trusted that she would be safe. That trust was broken. Someone made a deliberate choice that stole our daughter and forever changed our family. We are demanding answers, and we will not stop until the person responsible is identified and brought to justice. We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the various communities connected to our family. It has carried us through moments we could not endure alone. We take comfort in our faith, but nothing can lessen the devastation of this loss. If you know anything, please come forward. We ask for privacy as we grieve. Sheridan was our light. And she always will be.
