Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is proving just how dangerous the liberal run city of Chicago is with a controversial theory about the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old college student murdered by an illegal immigrant.
Saying “Bet you I’m right”, Blagojevich credited the crime with being tied to a gang initiation. Blagojevich, a Democrat whose 14-year federal prison sentence was shortened when Donald Trump commuted it in 2020, posted on X that he believes the suspect, Jose Medina-Medina, may have carried out the killing to gain favor with a gang.
“Sheridan Gorman’s killer is being held in isolation. I suspect Pritzker & the Dems are hiding him to COVER-UP the fact that this illegal immigrant killed an innocent young girl as part of a GANG INITIATION,” he wrote.
“I know gangbangers & how they operate. I lived with them for 8 years. And I know Pritzker & the Dems. Bet you I’m right,” added Blagojevich, who has described himself as a “Trump-o-crat” and served as governor from 2003 to 2009.
The victim, 18-year-old Sheridan Gorman, was a freshman at Loyola University Chicago and originally from Westchester County, New York. Authorities allege she was shot and killed by Medina-Medina, a 25-year-old Venezuelan national, around 1:30 a.m. Thursday on the Loyola Beach Pier.
According to reporting from the Chicago Tribune, Gorman and a group of friends had been walking near campus in hopes of seeing the northern lights when a man dressed in black, wearing a mask and carrying a gun, approached them. As the group ran, the suspect allegedly fired a single shot, striking Gorman in the head and killing her.
Investigators say surveillance footage captured the shooting, and Medina-Medina was later identified with assistance from his mother after police released images from the scene.
Officials say Medina-Medina was first encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in May 2023 and released. He was arrested again in Chicago the following month on a shoplifting charge but was released once more, according to the Department of Homeland Security, reports the New York Post.
Following the arrest, the Illinois Venezuelan Alliance reported an increase in hostile rhetoric directed at Venezuelans in the Chicago area, while also noting questions surrounding a possible gang connection.
“Most Venezuelans in the United States and in Chicago are hard-working people. This is a bad apple in the group,” interim executive director Luciano Pedota told Fox 32 Chicago.
Chicago police have not confirmed a motive in the case. Medina-Medina has been charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and weapons offenses. He is expected to appear in court Friday.