Elías Rodríguez, a 30-year-old philologist from Chicago with past connections to radical left-wing groups, is the sole accused of murdering two embassy workers of Israel in the USA as they exited the Jewish Museum of Washington, after he himself indicated to the Police where the weapon he allegedly used was located.
The charges filed by the Prosecution, along with the officers' statements on Thursday, have provided significant information about the crime. At 9:08 p.m. on Wednesday, local Police officers responded to the block where the Museum is located (but not at the same entrance) after receiving numerous calls about a shooting. There, they found the two victims, a man who died on the spot, and a woman who was evacuated but died shortly after 9:30 p.m.
The officers, still unaware of the potential perpetrator, cordoned off the area and located surveillance cameras on the Museum's facade. Upon entering to inquire for clues, they found Rodríguez, who had arrived 15 to 20 minutes earlier looking very nervous and had been attended to by the victims' colleagues. Upon seeing the Police, the suspect immediately confessed: "I did it. It was for Palestine, it was for Gaza, I am unarmed", and was subsequently arrested. As he was escorted out, he began shouting "Free Palestine," which was captured on video by several witnesses.
Several witnesses immediately explained that they had seen the shooter loitering around the building wearing a raincoat and a backpack, trying to light a cigarette in the rain. They then heard gunshots and saw the shooter struggling to keep pulling the trigger, discarding an object before fleeing quickly.
Surveillance cameras show that Rodríguez approached a group of four people, the two victims and other young individuals, who were waiting at a traffic light. Upon reaching them, he pulled out a gun from his waist and opened fire without saying anything, shooting them in the back. As the young individuals collapsed or attempted to crawl away, the killer reloaded the gun, approached, and fired again executing them at very close range. The Police recovered 21 shell casings.
He legally purchased the weapon in 2020, and the investigation reveals that he traveled with it on Tuesday from Chicago, his birthplace, where he grew up and lived, also checking it in at the airport.
The Police report explains that during the interrogation, after being informed of his Miranda rights and waiving them, Rodríguez "expressed admiration for the actions of a person who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy" in Washington in February 2024, as a protest to draw attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Rodríguez described the actions of this person as brave and referred to him as a 'martyr'. Rodríguez also stated that he had purchased a ticket for the event at the Museum approximately three hours before it started," the document states. He had also scheduled posts against the Gaza war on his social media, where he was active against Israel, knowing he could no longer post them in person.
Early Thursday morning, the Chicago Police searched his residence in Albany Park, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, in the city's northwest, a community that has long welcomed immigrants. Rodríguez had worked in production, research, and writing. A native of the city, he graduated from the University of Illinois in Chicago with a degree in philology, and there are records on social media of his participation in pro-Palestinian marches. The windows of his apartment had posters about Palestine, including one referencing the murder of a Palestinian-American child in Illinois in 2023.
Online traces link Rodríguez to left-wing, anti-imperialist, or socialist movements. In a statement, the Party for Socialism and Liberation distanced itself from him, following a mention in an article eight years ago. "We reject any attempt to link the PSL to the Washington DC shooting. Elías Rodríguez is not a member of the PSL. He had a brief relationship with a branch of the PSL that ended in 2017. We have had no contact with him for over seven years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it," they explain.
The museum, which had received threats in the past for organizing exhibitions on LGBTQ rights, was hosting an event that night for young individuals working in foreign policy sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, focusing on multi-religious initiatives to address the humanitarian situation in Israel and Gaza. "We can confirm that we organized an event at the Museum tonight," stated the group's executive director, Ted Deutch. "We are devastated by the heinous act of violence that occurred outside the premises. At this moment, as we await more information from the police about what happened, our attention and unwavering support are with the victims and their families."
The victims, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were a couple, and according to the Israeli embassy, Lischinsky planned to propose to Milgrim during a trip to Jerusalem the following week. Both were shot dead as they exited the Jewish Museum in the capital, where an event by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) was taking place.
As several witnesses explained and later confirmed by Police Chief Pamela Smith, Rodríguez was seen near the museum before opening fire on the couple. It was after he entered the building that he was apprehended by security personnel.
When Rodríguez was arrested, he shouted "Free Palestine," sparking accusations that this was an anti-Semitic attack in response to the Palestinian genocide at the hands of Israel, a term already used by the UN and other human rights organizations.