Updated May 22, 2025 at 8:54 AM EDT
WASHINGTON — Two staff from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed Wednesday night outside an event at a Jewish museum by a man who chanted "free, free Palestine," police said.
Shortly after 9 p.m. ET, as an event for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee wrapped up at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown D.C., a man was observed "pacing back and forth" outside the building, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.
The man approached a group of four people, then opened fire, Smith said. Two people were killed — a man and woman who were a couple, officials said. Afterward, the shooter entered the museum and was detained by event security, Smith said.
"The suspect chanted 'free, free Palestine' while in custody," Smith added. Police said they had tentatively identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago. He did not have any prior known encounters with police, Smith said. It was not immediately clear whether Rodriguez had legal representation.
In a posting on X, Israel's foreign ministry identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim.
Milgrim worked in the embassy's public diplomacy department, and Lischinsky worked as a researcher who focused on the Middle East and North Africa region. On his LinkedIn profile, Lischinsky wrote that he was an "advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding" between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
The pair were "a couple about to be engaged," said Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter.
"The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. They were a beautiful couple who came to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center," Leiter told reporters.
The shooting took place outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington, less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol in a part of the city filled with federal offices and museums. The American Jewish Committee, a pro-Israel Jewish advocacy group, had held an event at the museum on Wednesday night — a reception for young Jewish diplomats and foreign policy professionals with a theme of "turning pain into purpose," according to an online invitation to the event.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an increase to security arrangements at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world, his office said in a statement. "My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous antisemitic murderer," he said.
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, President Trump said, "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"
Steve Jensen, an official in the FBI's Washington field office, called the shooting "a heinous crime." The FBI is investigating "ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime," he said.
"We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue," said Ted Deutch, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee, in a statement to NPR. "Our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families."
American and Israeli politicians alike denounced the shooting. "Absolutely nothing justifies the murder of innocents," wrote Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X.
Added Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the U.N.: "Attacking diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world."
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