Shank discovery in Chicago jail adds to case against man charged in Sheridan Gorman’s murder

The man charged in the killing of Yorktown native Sheridan Gorman was found with a weapon during a search at a Chicago jail last week, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Jose Medina, 26, was found with a 6-inch shank during a search at the Cook County Jail in Chicago, according to a release from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart obtained by Yorktown News on June 3.

Dart said correctional officers discovered a sharpened piece of metal with a handle made from medical tape in Medina’s pants pocket around 8 a.m. Thursday, May 28.

Medina has been in custody since March 23 as he awaits trial in connection with Gorman’s death. He is next scheduled to appear in court July 7 at the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago, according to the sheriff’s Individual in Custody Information page.

He faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and weapons offenses in connection with Gorman’s death. On May 29, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a felony charge of possession of contraband in a penal institution, according to Dart.

Gorman’s parents, Tom and Jessica Gorman, were at Chicago’s George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse on May 31, CBS Chicago reported, which said Tom Gorman cited the alleged discovery of a shank in jail as evidence of how dangerous Medina is.

"He was a danger outside, and he was apparently a danger inside, and he should never be free in the same city as our daughter," Tom Gorman said, the outlet reported.

Sheridan Gorman at her 2025 Yorktown High School graduation.

Gorman, a Loyola University Chicago student, was with a group of friends when Medina, a Venezuelan national whom the Department of Homeland Security has said was in the country illegally, approached on foot, pulled out a gun and opened fire around 1:30 a.m. on March 19, authorities said.

Sheridan Gorman has since been remembered by family and friends as a “light.” Her parents, Jessica and Tom, and her sister, Madelon, continue to advocate for justice, appearing at public events alongside Rep. Mike Lawler and President Donald Trump. At a recent rally in Suffern, Jessica Gorman urged attendees to remember her daughter through action.

“Remember Sheridan’s face. Remember her light. Remember the life she should have lived,” she said. “Forget political party,” she said on stage at the May 22 rally. “Vote with your heart. Support leaders like President Trump, like Michael Lawler.”