Illegal Immigrant Found with Weapon in Jail After Alleged Murder of Loyola Student

A Venezuelan national, Jose Medina, charged with the March killing of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman, has been found with a weapon while in custody, according to police reports. The Cook County Sheriff’s Office reported that staff at Cook County Jail discovered a 6-inch shank in Medina’s possession on Thursday morning.

Correctional officers conducted a search of the 26-year-old Medina and found a sharpened metal piece with a handle made from medical tape in his pants pocket. In response, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has filed a new felony charge against Medina for possession of contraband in a penal institution.

Medina has been held since March 23 on charges of shooting 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman to death at Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park on March 19. He has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, and his next court appearance is scheduled for June 1.

On the night of the incident, Gorman was with friends near a pier in Rogers Park. She noticed Medina behind a lighthouse and warned her friends by mouthing, “There’s a man behind the lighthouse,” according to prosecutors. Medina then allegedly started chasing Gorman and her friends. While fleeing, Medina reportedly shot Gorman in the upper back. Her friends initially ran for safety and only later returned to find Gorman unresponsive.

Surveillance footage captured Medina in his apartment building lobby after the shooting, identifiable by his distinct limp, according to a building engineer. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Medina, a Venezuelan national, had been arrested for shoplifting and later released before the alleged murder. He crossed the southern border in 2023 but was released under the Biden administration despite being flagged as a flight risk. Medina lacked a valid asylum claim, U.S. address, or verifiable identification when released.