UPDATE — 3/23/26 at 10:20 a.m.: A 25-year-old Rogers Park man has been arrested in connection to the shooting of Loyola University student Sheridan Gorman.
Police confirmed the arrest in police records viewed by the Chicago Tribune. However, the person of interest has not yet been publicly named.
The suspect hasn’t been charged and they are currently in the process of being questioned, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Police said that there is not currently a known motive for the shooting.
Following the shooting, witnesses told police that a man wearing black clothes and a mask was seen aiming a gun at Gorman as she tried to run away. Officers later recovered a single shell casing about 40 feet from Gorman’s body, according to the police report.
A nearby surveillance camera also captured the suspect a few minutes after the shooting, which showed him walking west to Pratt Boulevard. Police were able to identify the suspect because of his “distinct limp.”
Following the shooting, the suspect entered a nearby apartment building and was seen via internal surveillance cameras without a mask on.
Original story:
Police in Chicago are investigating the murder of a Loyola University student who was shot in the head early Thursday, March 19, by a man wearing a mask.
Sheridan Gorman was with a group of friends at a Lake Michigan beach around 1:30 a.m. when the masked man reportedly approached them and opened fire, according to a statement.
The first-year student from New York was 18 when she died.
Gorman was pronounced dead at the scene at the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach.
The Loyola Phoenix is reporting the gunman was wearing some kind of a face covering.
Investigators are trying to determine who the shooter was and why he shot at the group of friends.
An arrest has not been made yet.
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In a statement to CBS, Gorman’s parents, Tom and Jess Gorman, released a statement, saying, “We want people to know that Sheridan was wonderful and the kindest soul that ever was. She was so, so loved and cherished and will be missed by all whose lives she touched.”
The campus held a vigil Thursday night at the Madonna della Strada Chapel to honor Gorman.
“This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her,” Mark Reed, president of Loyola University Chicago, said in a statement. “We are in close contact with law enforcement as they investigate and work to understand the full circumstances of this tragedy.”
Alderwoman Maria Hadden posted her own statement saying, “My condolences go to her family, friends and broader Loyola community. I am in close coordination with Loyola, Chicago Police, and the Mayor’s Office as we work to process this tragedy and find the responsible party. If you have any information that could help lead to justice for Sheridan, please contact my office.”
Gorman was from Yorktown in Westchester. The school she graduated from just last year also issued a statement on her death.
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“It is with an absolutely broken heart that I share the loss of beloved YHS graduate, Sheridan Gorman. We are so deeply shattered by this tragic and senseless loss,” reads the statement. “Our hearts are with Sheridan’s family, friends, and all who knew and loved her.”
It continued: “Sheridan was loved by all who knew her, and her impact on students and staff alike was profound. She was a shining light for so many people. We recognize that this is an unimaginably difficult time.”
Anyone who has any information that could lead to Gorman’s killer is asked to contact the Chicago Police Area Three Detective Division at (312) 744-8263 or dial 911.
