Full detention hearing for migrant charged in Loyola student's slaying is delayed due to health concern

Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune on Mar 23, 2026

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CHICAGO — A day after being charged in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student Sheridan Gorman, a Venezuelan migrant being held in her death was in a hospital, authorities said, delaying a full detention hearing in the case.

Jose Medina, 25, is facing charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder in the first degree, three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon in the fatal shooting of Gorman.

Judge Luciano Panci delayed a complete hearing after prosecutors said Medina is hospitalized for tuberculosis. He will be held in custody in the interim, Panci determined.

A first-year student from Yorktown Heights, New York, Gorman was shot shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday on the Loyola Beach Pier. She was walking with a group of friends when a gunman approached on foot, pulled out a weapon and opened fire in the group’s direction, police said.

“She made people feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was,” family members said in a statement.

The case drew international attention over the weekend when the Department of Homeland Security announced it had lodged a detainer request asking Illinois officials not to release Medina. According to DHS, Medina was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol on May 9, 2023, and then released.

Medina’s arrest comes in a highly-charged political atmosphere as Chicago is still reeling from the impact of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump administration’s controversial, weekslong immigration enforcement operation.

The circumstances of Medina’s arrival in the U.S. and brushes with the criminal justice system in Chicago still were emerging Monday. It was not immediately clear at what point any detainer was previously entered in his case or if he was on any federal list for apprehension this fall when the blitz was fully underway.

Cook County court records show the suspect has a single misdemeanor charge for shoplifting from the State Street Macy’s in June 2023, not normally a criminal charge that would lead to someone being jailed before trial.

But a judge issued a warrant for Medina in that case after he failed to appear for a court date. Records show the warrant was still outstanding as of September 2023.

A detainer is a nonbinding request from immigration authorities to a local law enforcement agency to hold a person in custody for federal apprehension, though the Illinois TRUST Act does not allow local agencies to assist with federal immigration enforcement — including fulfilling administrative detainer requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement — absent a federal criminal warrant or court order.

DHS has frequently used the state’s sanctuary law as a political cudgel, even as local politicians have pushed back, arguing the agency is fearmongering rather than working to find solutions to the city’s violence.

Loyola students mourned the loss during a packed vigil last week at the Madonna della Strada Chapel on the campus, with clergy and friends speaking of her kindness while students cried and hugged.

“She was always cheerful, always smiling,” a student told the Chicago Tribune.

Her family released a statement Sunday night after charges were announced, thanking law enforcement and those “who worked quickly” in the investigation and arrest.

“Their efforts matter. But this is not justice — it is the first step toward it,” the statement said. “This case must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of both state and federal law. There can be no gaps, no shortcuts, and no second chances that put others at risk. Accountability must be complete.”

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