An 18-year-old college freshman was shot and killed early Thursday morning as she walked with friends near a Lake Michigan beach.
Sheridan Gorman, a student at Loyola University, was at a pier at Tobey Prinz Beach near the school’s Chicago campus jsut after 2 a.m., WLS reports.
Police said a masked man approached the group on foot, took out a gun, and opened fire. Gorman was struck in the head and died at the scene. Police said she was not the intended target but did not say if someone else in the group was.
“This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her,” the university 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. Based on the information available to us now, there is no ongoing threat to our campus community. We will continue to provide updates as confirmed information becomes available.”
Gorman’s family in Yorktown, New York, provided a statement to WMAQ.
“Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago. There is no way to soften this—this was murder,” the statement said. “Sheridan was the light of our lives. She made people feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was. She lived her faith with kindness, compassion, and joy, and she loved her family and friends deeply.”
The family acknowledged “the outpouring of support from the various communities connected to our family” and asked for privacy to process their grief.
Police said the group did not know the gunman.
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[Featured image: Sheridan Gorman/Instagram]