18-Year-Old Loyola University Student Fatally Shot Near Chicago Campus

Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed on the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach just after 1 a.m. on Thursday by an unknown assailant, campus officials said.

Audrey Simons

Published: 3/20/2026, 3:32:24 PM EDT

18-Year-Old Loyola University Student Fatally Shot Near Chicago Campus — A Chicago police car in a file photo. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

A freshman at Loyola University Chicago was fatally shot early Thursday near the lakefront in the Rogers Park neighborhood, just blocks away from campus.

Sheridan Gorman, 18, was shot and killed on the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach just after 1 a.m. by an unknown assailant wearing a face covering, according to a crime alert issued by Loyola University Campus Safety.

Loyola President Mark Reed confirmed that Gorman was the victim in a message to students and faculty, calling her death "a tragic loss."

"Our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her," Reed said. "We are in close contact with law enforcement as they investigate and work to understand the full circumstances of this tragedy."

Gorman was shot in the head while walking with friends near the 1000 block of West Pratt Boulevard, roughly half a mile north of Loyola's Lake Shore Campus, according to multiple media reports.

A motive in the killing has not been released, and the shooter remains at large. NTD reached out to the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Loyola's Campus Safety for additional information, but responses were not received by publication time.

Campus Safety said university officers would continue to work with local police as they investigate the shooting. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Campus Safety at 773-508-SAFE or the CPD at 312-744-8263.

In his message, Reed said there is no reason to believe the campus community faces an ongoing threat related to the shooting.

"We will continue to provide updates as confirmed information becomes available," he said.

A vigil for Gorman was held at the Lake Shore Campus's Madonna della Strada Chapel Thursday evening.

In a message shared with NBC Chicago, Gorman's parents remembered her as someone who made others "feel seen, safe, and loved simply by being who she was."

"Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago. There is no way to soften this—this was murder," her family said Thursday.

"We trusted that she would be safe. That trust was broken. Someone made a deliberate choice that stole our daughter and forever changed our family. We are demanding answers, and we will not stop until the person responsible is identified and brought to justice," the statement continues.

"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from the various communities connected to our family. It has carried us through moments we could not endure alone. We take comfort in our faith, but nothing can lessen the devastation of this loss. If you know anything, please come forward. We ask for privacy as we grieve. Sheridan was our light. And she always will be."