Updated on July 28, 2026 at 3:15 p.m.
Months after his 18-year-old daughter, Sheridan, was killed in Chicago, Tom Gorman returned to a message of gratitude for the police officers who treated his family with compassion and dignity when they delivered the news of her death and later helped bring her home — and frustration over policies he believes failed to protect her.
Tom and his wife, Jessica, joined Rep. Mike Lawler, Assemblyman Matt Slater, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Yorktown officials and other local leaders at the Yorktown Police Department on July 24 to address concerns over state policies affecting local law enforcement.
“A father believes he can protect his children. We check the doors, we wait up until they come home. We tell them to call when they arrive. We convince ourselves that if we are vigilant enough, strong enough and prepared enough, we can keep the worst parts of the world away from them,” Tom Gorman said. “But I could not protect Sheridan from a government that refused to use every lawful tool available to protect her. And that truth will follow me for the rest of my life.”
He added that “for politicians, sanctuary policy is a debate. For television personalities and podcasters, it’s content.”
But for the Gormans, it’s personal.
Sheridan Gorman was killed in March while walking with friends near her Loyola University Chicago campus. The man, 26-year-old Jose Medina, charged in connection with her death is a Venezuelan national who entered the country illegally, according to authorities.
Republican officials, including Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman, Councilman Sergio Esposito, who is running for state Senate District 40, and John Campobasso, who is running for Westchester County Legislator in District 4, also attended the event. Lawler, who is seeking reelection to represent NY-17; Slater, who is seeking reelection to the state Assembly; and Blakeman, a Republican candidate for governor, are all running for office this year.
“New Yorkers believe government has one fundamental responsibility, and that’s to protect innocent people,” Slater said in a prepared statement from his office on July 28. “How many families have to suffer before Albany realizes that we need to support our police and not tie their hands? We need laws that hold criminals accountable. We need to give law enforcement every lawful tool available to keep our communities safe, and we need to trust our local police officers, sheriffs and prosecutors to do the job that we’ve entrusted them to do.”
The Republican officials criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York Democrats over new immigration policies, calling for changes to laws they said limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
The officials criticized the state’s “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” which limits cooperation between local police departments and federal immigration authorities. They argued the law could affect local law enforcement agencies by tying state funding to compliance with immigration enforcement policies.
“Sheridan was not a statistic or a headline. She was a beloved daughter, sister, friend and student with her whole life ahead of her,” said Lawler. “Tom and Jessica have shown incredible courage in keeping her memory alive. Local law enforcement should have every tool available to protect the people they serve. We stand with the Gorman family, we honor Sheridan and we will never forget her.”
Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg issued a statement following the press conference, disputing claims made by Lawler, Blakeman and other officials regarding New York’s laws governing cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
"It appears that Mike Lawler is once again fear mongering about immigrants to deflect from his own disastrous record in office. Instead of passing comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together and enables the US to continue to benefit from the economic contributions of immigrants, the Trump administration — enabled by Mike Lawler — is pursuing the worst possible version of immigration enforcement,” she said.
Levenberg added that the No. 1 issue “I heard about from constituents this session was the need to protect New York from ICE. My constituents have told me loudly and clearly that they do not want ICE in our communities.”
Lawler and Slater said the state’s policies create additional challenges for local police departments and called for changes to how law enforcement agencies interact with federal authorities.
“This is about Sheridan, but it is also about making sure no other family has to experience the unimaginable pain that Tom and Jessica live with every single day,” Slater said. “Their courage has turned an unimaginable loss into a fight to protect other families. I will continue standing with them, I will continue telling Sheridan’s story and I will continue fighting for policies that put the safety of our communities first. We owe Sheridan that much.”
Slater and Blakeman later appeared at the Mahopac Public Library for a roundtable discussion with law enforcement officials, first responders and local elected officials focused on public safety challenges and state and county coordination.
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