Overview
- Maria Hadden said her 49th Ward staff moved to remote service after violent threats and will keep the office closed through Friday, with plans to reopen Monday.
- The alderperson’s backlash followed a TV interview where she called the shooting a possible “wrong place, wrong time” encounter and suggested the students might have startled the gunman.
- Hadden apologized and said her remarks were misconstrued, adding that she was sharing early police information and did not intend to blame the victim.
- Prosecutors charged 25-year-old Jose Medina with killing Loyola freshman Sheridan Gorman and said he shot her in the back as she and friends ran away; federal officials said Medina is a Venezuelan migrant who arrived in 2023.
- Protests outside the ward office drew counterprotesters, and police logged one simple assault, as national figures and outlets used the case to press broader fights over Chicago’s sanctuary policy and public safety.