The family of the Loyola University student from Yorktown who was fatally shot is demanding answers.

In a new statement from the family's attorney, the family says they will not stop until the person responsible is identified and brought to justice.

Sheridan Gorman, 18, was a freshman at Loyola University in Chicago. She was fatally shot early Thursday near a beach close to Loyola’s campus.

Chicago police say Gorman was walking with friends along West Pratt Boulevard around 1:30 a.m. when an unknown man approached the group and opened fire.

Gorman was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, according to officials. No other injuries were reported.

"Our beloved daughter, Sheridan, was taken from us this morning in Chicago. There is no way to soften this—this was murder. Sheridan was the light of our lives," the Gorman family wrote. "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."

"It is with profound sadness that I write to share that one of our students, Sheridan Gorman, was killed earlier today in an incident north of the Lake Shore Campus. This is a tragic loss, and our hearts go out to Sheridan’s family, loved ones, and all who knew her," wrote Loyola president Mark Reed in a statement.

Gorman was a graduate of Yorktown High School.

“Sheridan was loved by all who knew her, and her impact on students and staff alike was profound. She was a shining light for so many people," said Yorktown Central School District Superintendent Dr. Ron Hattar in a statement to the school community.

Hattar said the district’s clinical team will be available to support students.

People all over Yorktown tell News 12 that they are feeling the heartbreak from this sudden and tragic loss. They say Gorman was a kind and sweet soul.

"Really a bright, shining star. Everything I've heard about Sheridan, she was an amazing person," says Yorktown Town Supervisor Ed Lachterman.

Lachterman says the community is devastated and leaning on each other during this difficult time.