A GoFundMe has been launched to honor Loyola college student Sheridan Gorman, who was murdered by 25-year-old Venezuelan migrant Jose Medina-Medina. The 18-year-old college freshman was shot dead last Thursday when she and a group of friends walked to the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach to see the Northern Lights, the family's attorney said, according to ABC 7.
“Anyone who knows this family—and anyone who knew Sheridan—will say one thing: she was pure light,” says the GoFundMe.
“Shera loved deeply and lived fully. She loved Jesus, her family, her sister Maddie most of all, her lifelong friends, and the simple, beautiful moments that made up her life. She had a way of making everyone feel special, seen, and loved. To know her was to be changed by her,” it adds.
The fundraiser said that the young woman’s loss is “unimaginable,” and that her “family is shattered, especially her beloved sister Maddie, who is navigating a heartbreak no one should ever have to carry.”
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The page says, “This fundraiser is about honoring Shera. All funds raised will go toward her remembrance and memorial activities and creating a memorial and/or scholarship(s) in her name, ensuring her light continues to shine and be a service and support for others which is what she believed in. If you feel called to give, please know it means more than words can express. More than anything, we ask that you keep this incredible family in your prayers and help us carry Shera’s light forward.”
{{/usCountry}}The page says, “This fundraiser is about honoring Shera. All funds raised will go toward her remembrance and memorial activities and creating a memorial and/or scholarship(s) in her name, ensuring her light continues to shine and be a service and support for others which is what she believed in. If you feel called to give, please know it means more than words can express. More than anything, we ask that you keep this incredible family in your prayers and help us carry Shera’s light forward.”
{{/usCountry}}At the time of writing this article, $148,630 had been raised of the $180K goal.
What we know about the suspect
Chicago police soon arrested Medina-Medina on charges, including a first-degree murder charge. Authorities utilized facial recognition software to compare images from surveillance footage to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records. CPD investigators stated in an arrest report that the images matched Medina-Medina.
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According to court records, an arrest warrant was issued for Medina-Medina in 2023 after he stopped appearing in court on shoplifting charges. Federal officials have said that Medina-Medina, an undocumented Venezuelan national, should have never been released after that 2023 arrest.