In March, 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, a freshman at Loyola University Chicago, was fatally shot near the university’s Rogers Park campus after a masked gunman allegedly approached a group of students and opened fire.
Gorman was struck by the gunfire and died at the scene.
Days later, authorities identified the suspect as 25-year-old Jose Medina, whom the Department of Homeland Security described as an illegal immigrant from Venezuela let into the country during President Joe Biden’s term.
Medina was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault-related offenses, and weapons violations.
The case quickly became a flashpoint in the national debate over immigration enforcement and sanctuary policies, with federal officials arguing that Medina should not have been free in the country, while state and local leaders pushed back against efforts to politicize the tragedy.
That said, Medina now faces additional charges after he was found with a weapon in jail.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart told CBS News that jail staff found Medina in possession of a six-inch shank.
Medina has been in custody since March 23, awaiting trial for Gorman’s death.
On Friday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a felony charge for possession of contraband in a penal institution.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump invited Sheridan Gorman’s family to appear at a rally in Suffern, New York, where they spoke publicly about the loss of their daughter and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Standing alongside Trump, Sheridan’s parents were joined by her sister and another young woman, both holding photographs of the 18-year-old Loyola University student.
During their remarks, Sheridan’s mother and father questioned how policies they believe failed to prioritize public safety could have allowed the tragedy to occur.
They also expressed frustration that, in their view, the fight to protect American citizens from violent crime has become increasingly partisan, asking why concerns about public safety and immigration enforcement “belongs to only one party.”
“She was gunned down by an illegal alien monster in cold blood,” Trump told the crowd at Rockland Community College.
“This savage animal, who stole Sheridan’s life, entered illegally from Venezuela and was released into our country by Crooked Joe Biden, and that whole Biden administration of thieves and criminals,” Trump continued.
“He was then arrested and released again by Dumocrat Governor JP Pritzker, a terrible governor, has no idea what’s going on in the sanctuary city of Chicago. Sanctuary cities protect criminals,” said the president.
“They’re a sanctuary for criminals, not for people like you, like us,” he added.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jessica Gorman, Sheridan’s mother, expressed her gratitude through tears to Trump and GOP lawmakers for their efforts to protect American citizens from illegal aliens who are causing fear in communities.
She also criticized the leadership in Chicago for providing shelter to her son’s murderer.
“Mother’s Day was just two weeks ago. For most mothers, it meant flowers and cards and phone calls, or children coming home,” she told the crowd.
“For me, it was heartache and tears because on March 19, my beautiful daughter, Sheridan Grace Gorman, was murdered in cold blood,” the distraught mother added.
“No mother should ever have to wonder if her child called out for her in her final moments,” she said.
“No mother should ever have to imagine her baby lying alone and bleeding on the cold pavement, and no family should ever have to bury a child because public officials failed to put innocent American lives first,” she added.
Critics of Biden estimated that he allowed as many as 8-10 million people into the country illegally. Trump has been focused on mass deportations of those migrants.
