CHICAGO, IL (April 3, 2026) — A man charged in the fatal shooting of a Loyola University Chicago student told U.S. border authorities he intended to live in New Rochelle, New York, according to a federal criminal complaint, as he now faces a firearm charge and remains held without bail on state murder charges.
Jose Medina-Medina, 25, is charged in U.S. District Court in Chicago with illegal possession of a firearm after authorities said he possessed a handgun on March 20, 2026. He is also charged in Cook County Circuit Court with murder and other offenses in the March 19, 2026, killing of 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman and is being held without bond.
According to the federal complaint, a U.S. Border Patrol agent encountered Medina-Medina on or about May 9, 2023, in the El Paso Border Sector and determined he had unlawfully entered the United States from Mexico and was an undocumented migrant. The complaint states he was unable to provide a valid U.S. address or verifiable point of contact, but “stated that he intended to reside in New Rochelle, New York.”
Chicago police recovered the firearm during a court-authorized search of Medina-Medina’s residence in the Rogers Park neighborhood on March 20, 2026, as part of a homicide investigation, federal prosecutors said.
Medina-Medina was arrested following the search and subsequently charged in state court with murder and related offenses in Gorman’s death.
Gorman, 18, was a freshman at Loyola University Chicago and a graduate of high school in Yorktown Heights in northern Westchester County.
Authorities allege the shooting occurred near Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus, where Gorman was walking with friends.
Prosecutors said Medina-Medina, a citizen of Venezuela, “has no lawful status in the United States” and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.
The federal charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. His initial appearance in federal court has not yet been scheduled.
“Given the senseless, cold-blooded nature of the murder of a young student with a bright future ahead of her, the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office will take no chances that this illegal alien perpetrator will be released back into our community,” U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros said in a statement.
Medina-Medina remains presumed innocent in the federal case unless proven guilty in court.
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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