Iskra Pourel-Popova, 65, was shot and killed on October 12, 2019, in her apartment in the Dunning neighborhood of Chicago. A caregiver for the elderly and described as kind, she was one of five residents killed in a single attack inside the apartment complex where she and the suspect lived.

The suspect, neighbor Krysztof Marek, 66, reportedly entered the apartment while Iskra was dining with her son Ivaylo Popov and his wife Kostadinova Tsvetanka and fatally shot all three. Another resident, David Hanik, who was present, was also killed. Marek then went to the third floor and shot and killed neighbor Jolanta Topolska. A note left on Marek’s door in Polish contained the words Tomorrow. No mercy without any stupid hesitation, and prosecutors described the killings as premeditated; Marek was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and denied bail.

The community was left reeling by the violence and the loss of five neighbors.