We All Matter News 
Grieving Mother Calls for Solidarity After Chicago Student’s Killing
The mother of a young congressional intern killed in Washington, D.C., is urging another grieving family not to retreat into silence, but to organize and demand change after an online message of compassion connected their shared tragedies.
Sheridan Gorman, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student, was shot and killed March 19 at a pier in the Rogers Park neighborhood near campus. She is remembered by loved ones as a vibrant, compassionate young woman whose presence drew people together.
After Gorman’s death, Tamara Tarpinian-Jachym — whose 21-year-old son, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, was fatally shot in a 2025 drive-by shooting in Washington, D.C. — left a heartfelt message on Gorman’s obituary page.
“My sincerest condolences to the family,” she wrote. “I and my family understand what you are going through… The pain is the worst pain any family can go through. I pray for all of you.”
Her son Eric was caught in the crossfire of a gang-related attack when several individuals exited a vehicle and opened fire. Police said he was not the intended target. Like Sheridan, he was young, full of promise, and gone in an instant because of gun violence that continues to devastate American communities.
In an interview, Tarpinian-Jachym said she felt sickened when she learned about Gorman’s killing. But more than grief, she expressed a desire for unity among families forced into a club no one wants to join.
“They need to fight. And I think parents of victims — we need to band together, all together,” she said. “My heart goes out to the Gormans. I understand what they’re going through.”
A Life Remembered
Gorman, who graduated from Yorktown High School in Yorktown Heights, New York, was described in her obituary as someone who made others feel valued and seen. She participated in field hockey, lacrosse, bowling, and a range of other activities during high school, embracing life with enthusiasm and warmth.
Her family painted a portrait of a young woman whose kindness was tangible and whose love for her community ran deep.
While many are described as having “lit up a room,” her family wrote that those phrases barely captured Sheridan’s spirit. She was remembered as funny, compassionate, and fiercely devoted to her family, friends, faith, and community — someone who made ordinary moments feel extraordinary.
Accountability and a Broken System
Authorities have charged 25-year-old Jose Medina-Medina in connection with Gorman’s killing. He faces first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault involving the discharge of a firearm, and weapons charges, according to the Chicago Police Department. He is expected in court Friday morning.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Medina-Medina entered the U.S. in May 2023 and was apprehended by Border Patrol before being released pending immigration proceedings. He was later arrested for shoplifting in June 2023 and released. At the time, he told officials he was staying at a city-operated migrant shelter in Rogers Park.
Predictably, some political figures have attempted to use the tragedy to inflame anti-immigrant sentiment. But immigrant rights advocates caution against conflating an individual accused of violence with broader communities seeking safety and opportunity. Research consistently shows that immigrants — including undocumented immigrants — commit crimes at lower rates than native-born citizens.
For Tarpinian-Jachym, however, the focus is on broader leadership failures and the persistent epidemic of gun violence that claims tens of thousands of lives across the United States each year.
“The people in charge in Chicago should be held responsible,” she said, expressing frustration with what she sees as inadequate action in the face of mounting deaths.
Her anger echoes the feelings of many families across the country who feel trapped between political gridlock and a public safety crisis that disproportionately impacts young people.
Grief Into Action
At its core, this story is about two families linked by unimaginable loss — and a mother’s plea for collective action. Across red and blue states alike, families are burying children lost to gunfire. The policy debates may shift, but the grief remains constant.
In calling on victims’ parents to “band together,” Tarpinian-Jachym is voicing a demand heard in communities nationwide: that lawmakers prioritize meaningful gun reform, invest in community-based violence prevention, and treat public safety as a collective responsibility rather than a political talking point.
For now, Sheridan Gorman is remembered as a young woman who radiated kindness and possibility. Her family’s grief joins a painful national ledger — one that will only shrink when leaders choose courage over blame and action over rhetoric.
