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During a press briefing on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson faced questions regarding the city’s immigration policies in light of the recent death of Sheridan Gorman, allegedly at the hands of an undocumented immigrant.
Jose Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, was taken into custody last Friday following the fatal shooting of Gorman, an 18-year-old student at Loyola University. The incident occurred near Tobey Prinz Beach last Thursday. Addressing the tragic event for the first time, Mayor Johnson was pressed by reporters about whether he would issue an apology for the city’s immigration stance.
A reporter inquired, “Will you apologize to Sheridan’s parents for the policies you’ve endorsed, which have directly contributed to her death? That suspect wouldn’t be in the city, or even in the country, if not for your policies. Will you seize this moment to apologize?”
In response, Mayor Johnson expressed his condolences, stating, “We are all mourning the loss of Sheridan and others who have fallen victim to senseless violence. To clarify, the welcoming city ordinance was enacted 40 years ago under Chicago’s first Black mayor, and the Safe-T Act was passed by a governor at the time who was a Republican.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at a rally in Chicago on October 18, 2025. (Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images)
While Johnson said he hasn’t spoken with Gorman’s family yet, he plans to do so.
“There’s no words that one could express that could properly console a family that lost their baby. And my condolences to the Gorman family,” Johnson said.Â
He also called out President Donald Trump, who he says “refuses to be held accountable.”
Sheridan Gorman was allegedly killed by Jose Medina on a pier in Chicago. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram; DHS; Kamil Krzacynski for Fox News Digital)
“He points the finger at everything and everyone else versus doing some real self-reflection on what his responsibility is,” Johnson said.
In October, Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker posted a satirical video from the streets of Chicago while he was wearing a bulletproof vest, trying to make a point about how safe the city is.
Medina, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In an earlier statement to Fox News Digital, the Gorman family said they are disappointed with policies that allowed Medina to remain in the country.
“We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime. When systems fail—whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act—the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent,” the family wrote.
Sheridan Gorman was shot while taking a walk with friends at Tobey Prinz Beach, located less than a mile from campus, around 1 a.m. on Thursday, according to reports. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
According to an arrest report obtained by Fox News Digital, Medina was seen on video in his apartment building’s lobby waiting for an elevator while he wasn’t masked after the alleged shooting. A building engineer told police that he knew the suspect who had a “very distinct limp and gait.”Â
Following the shooting at 1:06 a.m. on Thursday, according to the arrest report, a male in black clothing, wearing a black mask and walking with a “distinct limp and slow gait” was seen walking from the location of the shooting to Pratt Boulevard at 1:12 a.m. Just a few minutes later, the individual was seen walking northbound through the east alley of Sheridan Road before he entered the back of his apartment complex.
Sheridan Gorman stands outside Soldier Field ahead of a Chicago Bears game in Chicago. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
Images of the suspect were sent to a police database, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection identified the suspect as Medina. He was arrested at his apartment in Rogers Park, according to the arrest report.
Medina told officials in 2023 that he was living at Leone Beach Park fieldhouse in Rogers Park in 2023, which was being used as a city-sponsored shelter for migrants. The city-sponsored shelter closed in 2024, according to South Side Weekly.