Order of protection obtained days before Little Village man fatally shot wife and daughter, wounded son
Jose Alvarez | CPD
CHICAGO - Bail was denied Thursday afternoon for a man accused of fatally shooting his wife and 15-year-old daughter in an attack that also left his son wounded earlier this week in the Little Village neighborhood.
Jose Alvarez, 67, was charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and aggravated battery from discharging a firearm, Chicago police said. Alvarez appeared before Cook County Judge David Kelly, who denied bail during a hearing that was audio-streamed on YouTube.
Just after midnight Monday, Alvarez allegedly shot and killed 15-year-old Daniela Alvarez and Karina Gonzalez, 48, inside their apartment in the 2600 block of South Millard Avenue, officials said.
In court Thursday, Assistant State’s Attorney Anne McCord Rodgers said Gonzalez obtained an order of protection against Alvarez less than two weeks before the shooting, but it was never served to him.
It wasn’t made clear why the order was never served.
Alvarez, who had a "history of alcohol problems and was verbally abusive to Gonzalez for years," constantly accused her of cheating on him and their two children of conspiring against him, according to McCord Rodgers.
Days after the order was received, Gonzalez, Daniela Alvarez and the son wounded in the shooting returned to live with Alvarez with an understanding that he had to enter a rehab program.
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But before the shooting, Alvarez again accused Gonzalez of cheating on him, and Gonzalez told him to "stop" and joined her children on a couch in the living room, McCord Rodgers said.
After a few minutes, Alvarez went to the living room and continued to accuse Gonzalez of cheating, this time making threatening comments. That’s when Alvarez’s son told him to "stop or he would call 911," and walked toward his room as Alvarez rushed passed him and grabbed a handgun, McCord Rodgers said.
As Alvarez’s son took cover under a dining room table, Alvarez walked to the living room and shot Gonzalez and Daniela Alvarez, according to McCord Rodgers.
Then, Alvarez returned to the dining room and continued firing underneath the table, shooting his son — who was shielding himself with the chair — in the ankle, prosecutors said.
Gonzalez was shot eight times: three times in her left hand, twice in her face and once in her upper left arm, top of her head and right wrist, officials said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Daniela Alvarez was shot in her face and forearm and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said.
The son fled the apartment and called 911, authorities said. He ran down the street limping and hiding behind cars, according to a witness.
"Where are you? Where are you?" Alvarez screamed, according to Mike Lopez, a Little Village resident who heard at least 15 shots come from his neighbor’s home.
The teen had wrapped a T-shirt around his wound to stop the bleeding, Lopez said: "A pretty smart kid."
Alvarez’s Glock-17 handgun was recovered from the top of his bed with one round in the chamber and additional rounds in the magazine, prosecutors said. A second magazine was recovered near the handgun.
"This young man … had seen his life flash before his eyes and he’d lost his mom and his sister," Lopez said. "At least they got the guy in custody."
An attorney assigned to represent Alvarez said he used to be a truck driver, and now receives social security. The attorney said it was the "family’s choice" to move back in with him after the order and said he was actively seeking mental health treatment.
Alvarez, who previously owned a valid Firearm Owners Identification card but it was revoked due to the order of protection, is due back in court on July 26.