Karina Gonzalez, a 48-year-old Hispanic mother, and her 15-year-old daughter Daniela were shot and killed in their Little Village, Chicago, home on the night of July 2, 2023. Karina had been experiencing years of verbal abuse from her husband, Jose Alvarez, who frequently accused her of infidelity. Karina obtained an order of protection on June 21, 2023; that order should have led to revocation of Alvarez’s FOID card and removal of his Glock 9mm, but the order was never served and the handgun remained in the house.

On July 2, Jose Alvarez, 67, retrieved the handgun from under his pillow during a domestic confrontation and shot Karina and Daniela multiple times as they sat on the living room couch. Their 18-year-old son, Jesus Emmanuel, was shot in the ankle while hiding and escaped to a neighbor’s to call for help; police found Karina dead at the scene and Daniela died at a hospital. Alvarez was arrested at the home, charged with two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm, and held without bail. While awaiting trial he died from health complications in June 2026. The killings prompted passage of HB 4144, known as Karina’s Law, to require removal of firearms when an order of protection is issued.

Are there readers who knew Karina or Daniela, or who can add details about how the protection order was handled in the days before July 2?