She had gone to a place students know well, a stretch by the water that should have felt ordinary. But in the dark hours before sunrise, a routine night near campus turned into a tragedy that left an entire community searching for answers.
Loyola University later identified the victim as Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old first-year student whose death has shaken Chicago and her hometown in New York. But what happened in those early morning moments of March 19, 2026, still doesn’t make sense, as Sheridan was doing something that almost all kids at the campus do.
A Night That Changed Everything
Police said the shooting happened at about 1:30 a.m. Thursday at the pier at Tobey Prinz Beach in the 1000 block of West Pratt Boulevard, near Loyola University’s Lake Shore Campus, as Sheridan was walking with friends.
This wasn’t unusual because that spot happens to be a popular place for the students. Neighbors in the area are also known for walking their dogs there…