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Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says so illegal immigrant The defendant accused of shooting Sheridan Gorman in Chicago did so as part of a “gang initiation.”
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, allegedly shot Gorman, 18, about 1:06 a.m. March 19 while she was with friends on a pier in the city’s Rogers Park area. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina-Medina entered the country illegally on May 9, 2023 and was arrested under the Biden administration and then released into the United States.
In a post on
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Former Illinois Governor Rod R. Blagojevich speaks outside in Chicago. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“Sheridan Gorman’s murderer is being held in isolation. I suspect that Pritzker and the Democrats are hiding him to cover up the fact that this illegal immigrant killed an innocent young girl as part of a GANG INITIATION. I know gangsters and I know how they operate. I lived with them for eight years. And I know Pritzker and the Democrats,” Blagojevich said. “I bet I’m right.”
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Gorman was described as someone who was “everyone’s cheerleader” as those who knew her said she had the ability to make others “feel seen, valued and believed in.”
Sheridan Gorman, a New York native, was reportedly just months away from completing her freshman year at Loyola University Chicago in Illinois. (Sheridan G. Gorman via Instagram)
“People often say that someone ‘lit up a room’ or had ‘inner and outer beauty,’ but in Sheridan’s case these words fall far short. She radiated something even greater – a rare and unmistakable warmth, a spirit that was vibrant, compassionate and full of life,” an obituary for Gorman reads. “She loved passionately – her family, her friends, her community and her faith. She brought people together, lifted them up and made the ordinary moments feel extraordinary simply by being in them.”
Medina-Medina was is due to appear in court on Monday but the The hearing was postponed because he is in the hospital with tuberculosis. The hearing is scheduled for Friday morning.
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Medina-Medina was charged with shoplifting in 2023 after prosecutors said he stole just over $130 worth of merchandise from a Macy’s in Downtown Chicago.
He did not appear at a court hearing Shoplifting chargewhich resulted in a warrant being issued for failure to appear. That warrant was still active when he allegedly shot Gorman, according to court records.
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Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national, was also arrested for shoplifting and released before the alleged murder, DHS confirmed. (DHS)
A police source previously told Fox News the shooting was obviously an ambush, He added that the suspect was reportedly wearing some type of face mask or covering.
A Arrest report obtained of Fox News Digital states that after the shooting, Medina was seen on video waiting for an elevator in the lobby of his apartment building, although he was not masked. A civil engineer told police he knew the suspect, who was “very clearly limping and walking.”
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Sheridan Gorman smiles next to the Chicago skyline in Illinois. (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. According to the arrest report, he was arrested at his home in Rogers Park.
Court documents obtained from Fox News Digital show that Medina told officials that in 2023 he was living at the Leone Beach Park field house in Rogers Park, which was used as City-sponsored accommodation for migrants.
The animal shelter supported by the city was therefore closed in 2024 South Side Weekly.
