Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman killed in Chicago shooting near lakefront in Rogers Park
An 18-year-old Loyola University student was shot and killed near the lakefront in the Rogers Park neighborhood early Thursday morning.
Chicago police said Sheridan Gorman was walking with a group of friends on Pratt Boulevard near the lakefront around 1:30 a.m. when a masked man walked up and fired shots.
Police said she was shot in the head and died at the scene. Investigators said it appears to have been a random shooting.
Loyola University President Mark C. Reed confirmed in a message to the university that Gorman was a student at the school and was a native of Yorktown, New York.
"This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan's family, loved ones, and all who knew her," Reed wrote.
Her family said in a statement, "We want people to know that Sheridan was wonderful, and the kindest soul that ever was. She was so so loved and cherished, and will be missed by all whose lives she touched."
Gorman was a freshman at Loyola University Chicago. Students said she had just returned from spring break and was taking a walk on the pier with three other friends when she was killed.
"I just heard the screaming. They were saying, 'Come help us. We're over here.' Since then, I couldn't go back to sleep. It was something I never thought would happen in the community here," said one student who asked to remain anonymous.
The student, a junior at Loyola, said he believes some of Gorman's friends hid in the grassy area near the pier as the shooter fled.
"I didn't know if it was a Loyola student at the time, but I had my suspicions, so I started listening to police radio," he said. "I just find it be terrible tragic to send your daughter to school and find them to be dead."
Audio from police radio obtained by CBS News Chicago shows officers reporting a 911 caller described the shooter as "a man in a ski mask wearing all black."
Loyola University sent out a campus safety alert, notifying students of the fatal shooting. The alert also said the shooter covered their face.
Neighbors were in shock while talking to CBS News Chicago about the shooting.
"Why an 18-year-old girl? I can't imagine what this is like for the family," Rogers Park resident David Fisk said.
There have been increased police patrols in the area of Loyola University and the pier on Thursday.
"There's a lot of light, and things that we do for safety, but we try to minimize now, so they're not as bright in people's rooms," said 49th Ward Ald. Maria Hadden. "But obviously, whenever we have a safety concern we do reviews, we look to see if there's something else that could be there."
There are no cameras on the pier. Hadden said more security is on the table.
"We always consider it," she said.
Chicago police said their investigation is ongoing and no one was in custody on Thursday.
A sense of sadness hung over the campus Thursday night as the Loyola family came together to pause, pray, and try to wrap their minds around Gorman's death.
"Just holding everyone close to our hearts," Loyola junior Natalia Waksmundzki said. "It's scary to think that something so tragic happened so close to our campus."
Dozens filed into the Madonna della Strada Chapel on Thursday night for a prayer vigil, because prayer was one thing giving them some peace, considering the shooter has not been caught.
"The reality kind of hit that you never know what could happen, and especially since she's a freshman, that's what really got to me, because, I mean, she was 18 years old, and no one should have to worry about things like this at that age," Loyola junior Sophie Buthion said.
While Gorman's time in Chicago was short, the campus was determined to let her family know her presence is missed.
"I hope that they feel supported by our school community, because I know everyone wants to be there for them," Buthion said.
"We just honestly wanted to come pay our respects to not only her but anybody else this has affected. As we know, a lot of things like this happen in Chicago," Waksmundzki said.
