Sheridan Grace Gorman Obituary-The Yorktown Heights and Loyola University Chicago communities continue to remember Sheridan Grace Gorman, an 18-year-old freshman whose promising life was cut short in a fatal shooting near Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus in Chicago on March 19, 2026.
Sheridan, a native of Yorktown Heights, New York, had recently begun her freshman year at Loyola and was building a new chapter of her life in Chicago. Her death devastated her family, friends, former classmates, teammates, and the university community that had welcomed her as a student.
Loyola President Mark Reed confirmed Sheridan’s death in a March 19 message to the university community, describing it as a tragic loss and expressing sympathy for her family and loved ones. The university also made counseling and other support services available to students and staff.
Sheridan Gorman Killed Near Loyola’s Rogers Park Campus
Chicago police said Sheridan was walking with friends near Tobey Prinz Beach in Rogers Park during the early morning hours of March 19 when a masked man approached the group and opened fire.
The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. near the 1000 block of West Pratt Boulevard, close to Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. Sheridan was fatally wounded and pronounced dead at the scene. Police initially described the shooting as appearing to be random.
Sheridan and her friends had reportedly gone toward the lakefront to see the Northern Lights. What was intended to be an ordinary outing with friends instead became a tragedy that devastated two communities.
The university quickly reached out to students, faculty, and staff, emphasizing that there was no ongoing threat to the campus community based on the information available at the time. A prayer vigil was also held at Madonna della Strada Chapel that evening.
A Yorktown Daughter Remembered With Love
Sheridan was more than a Loyola student. She was a daughter, sister, friend, teammate, mentor, and an important part of the Yorktown community.
Her family remembered her as someone whose kindness and warmth made people feel seen, safe, and loved. They described her as deeply cherished and emphasized the profound impact she had on the people around her.
Her obituary identifies her parents as Jessica and Thomas Gorman and her sister as Madelon Gorman. Sheridan was also survived by grandparents, extended family members, and lifelong friends who were deeply affected by her death.
The family’s remembrance of Sheridan centered not only on the tragedy of her death, but also on the love, joy, laughter, friendships, and compassion that characterized her 18 years.
A Life Filled With Athletics and Community
Sheridan was a proud Yorktown High School graduate and was actively involved in athletics and community life.
She participated in field hockey, lacrosse, and bowling, while also spending years involved in cheerleading. Her connection to the Yorktown Athletic Club extended beyond participating herself: she later gave back by coaching younger athletes.
Local reporting on a Yorktown memorial described Sheridan as someone who spent years contributing to the athletic community, including three years coaching with the Yorktown Athletic Club.
That involvement reflected an important part of Sheridan’s character. She was not simply someone who participated in activities; she also invested her time in helping younger members of her community.
For former teammates and coaches, those memories have become part of the story of the young woman they continue to mourn.
Sheridan Had Begun a New Chapter at Loyola
When Sheridan arrived at Loyola University Chicago, she was beginning a new stage of her life.
As a first-year student, she was forming friendships, experiencing college life, and looking toward the future. Her sudden death therefore represented not only the loss of a beloved young woman, but also the loss of the many years and possibilities that lay ahead of her.
The Loyola community responded with grief and support following the shooting. University officials encouraged students to seek counseling and other resources while emphasizing that the school community would support one another through the loss.
For Sheridan’s fellow students, the tragedy transformed a familiar part of campus life into a place associated with grief and remembrance.
Yorktown Community Comes Together
The loss was felt deeply back home in Yorktown Heights.
On March 28, approximately 1,000 Yorktown residents, friends, and members of Sheridan’s wider community gathered at DeVito Field for a memorial honoring the 18-year-old Yorktown High School graduate.
The gathering demonstrated the breadth of Sheridan’s connections within the community.
Former coaches, classmates, friends, neighbors, and others came together not simply to mourn her death, but to celebrate the person she had been.
For many, remembering Sheridan meant sharing stories about her energy, personality, kindness, athletic involvement, friendships, and the way she made others feel welcome.
Investigation and Charges
The fatal shooting prompted an extensive investigation by Chicago police.
A suspect was taken into custody after the shooting, and Loyola later announced that a suspect had been formally charged in connection with Sheridan’s death.
According to Chicago police and subsequent reporting, Jose Medina, 25 at the time of the charges, was charged with first-degree murder along with additional felony counts related to the shooting. Charges are allegations, and the defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.
The criminal case has continued beyond the initial arrest and charges.
A Family’s Profound Loss
For Sheridan’s parents, sister, grandparents, relatives, and closest friends, the loss is impossible to measure simply through the circumstances of the shooting.
An 18-year-old who was beginning college had her future ahead of her. She was developing new friendships, pursuing her education, and experiencing the independence that comes with entering adulthood.
Her family has spoken about the enormous love they had for her and the impact she made on the lives around her.
That sense of loss has also been shared by people who may have known Sheridan through school, athletics, coaching, or the Loyola community.
Remembering Sheridan Beyond the Tragedy
While the circumstances of Sheridan’s death have understandably drawn widespread attention, those who knew her have continued to emphasize the person she was during her life.
She was remembered as someone with a warm personality and a generous spirit. She was an athlete, mentor, student, daughter, sister, and friend.
Her years in Yorktown were filled with activities, relationships, and community connections. Her first year at Loyola represented the beginning of another chapter — one that was tragically interrupted.
Those who knew Sheridan are therefore left carrying memories of the life she lived rather than allowing her story to be defined solely by the final moments of it.
A Lasting Legacy in Yorktown and Chicago
Sheridan Gorman’s life lasted only 18 years, but the response to her death demonstrated how many people she had touched.
At Loyola, students and university leaders came together in grief and remembrance. In Yorktown, hundreds gathered to honor her life and support her family.
Her athletic community also continues to remember the young woman who participated, coached, encouraged others, and formed relationships that extended well beyond the playing field.
For her family and friends, Sheridan’s legacy will remain in the memories they carry — the laughter, conversations, friendships, athletic experiences, family moments, and countless ordinary occasions that became precious after her death.
Final Tribute to Sheridan Grace Gorman
Sheridan Grace Gorman was a beloved daughter, sister, friend, athlete, mentor, student, and member of two communities that continue to grieve her loss.
Her death in Chicago on March 19, 2026, shocked Yorktown and the Loyola community, cutting short a young life filled with promise and leaving behind a profound sense of loss. Loyola confirmed her death and provided support to students and members of the university community as they mourned.
Yet Sheridan’s story is also one of the relationships she built and the people she influenced.
From Yorktown’s athletic fields to her freshman year at Loyola, she brought energy, warmth, compassion, and connection into the lives of others.
Sheridan may have been taken far too soon, but the love she gave, the friendships she formed, the young athletes she encouraged, and the memories she created will remain part of the communities she called home.
May Sheridan Grace Gorman be remembered not only for the tragedy that ended her life, but for the kindness, joy, courage, and love that defined the 18 years she shared with the world.