Chicago Dem lawmaker says Sheridan Gorman was 'at the wrong place at the wrong time' when she was murdered by illegal alien

18-year-old Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman was shot and killed in the early hours of Friday morning when she was out with her friends near Tobey Prinz Beach Park in Chicago. The suspect in that killing is an illegal immigrant from Venezuela Jose Medina, 25, who was released into the country under the Biden administration and was further caught and released after a shoplifting arrest.

But for Chicago Democrat and 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden, it was Gorman who was "in the wrong place at the wrong time." Medina approached Gorman and her friends "while wearing a mask and armed with a gun," said DHS. Gorman "attempted to flee," but Medina "fired his gun and shot her," the agency continued.

Gorman's family was horrified by her killing, saying "We are gravely disappointed by the policies and failures that allowed this individual to remain in a position to commit this crime. When systems fail — whether through release decisions, lack of coordination, or unwillingness to act — the consequences are not abstract. They are real. And in our case, they are permanent."

Speaking to local news, Hadden appeared to blame Gorman for being killed. "The kids were out doing normal things people do in the neighborhood," she said. "They may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, running into a person who had a gun."

"They might have unintentionally startled this person at the end of the pier," she went on. "We don’t believe there is cause for broader community concern." Her comments follow a post she made on March 19 offering her condolences for Gorman's family. Hadden said that there were "a lot of details in the case that would bring up a lot of stress and trauma" for residents of the area and asked people to come forward with information they may have.

Gorman's family was angered by Hadden's comments and defended Gorman. "What Sheridan was doing that night—walking with friends near her campus—was normal," they said. "It was safe. It is what students do every day. We will not allow this to be dismissed as ‘wrong place, wrong time.’ This was not random misfortune. This was a violent and preventable act."

"Sheridan Gorman had her whole life ahead of her before this cold-blooded killer decided to end her life. She was failed by open border policies and sanctuary politicians who RELEASED this illegal alien TWICE before he went on to commit this heinous murder," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "We are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago’s sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal illegal alien from jail back into American neighborhoods."