A chilling indictment was handed down against Elias Rodriguez, who shot and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, late on Wednesday, outside the Jewish Museum in the capital in what the police described as a targeted act of antisemitism
Rodriguez, 33, a resident of Chicago, is charged with first-degree murder. The indictment outlines the horrors of his offense outside the conference of the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
Rodgriguez allegedly approached the couple from behind as they were about to cross the road, he pulled out his handgun and shot them in the back. After they fell, he walked toward them “with his arm extended, and firing several more times.”
As Miligrim tried to crawl away, she was shot as she tried to sit up. Rodriguez “followed behind her and fired again.” He then appeared to reload his firearm as the woman began to sit up, and, once he reloaded, he allegedly shot at her again, according to the indictment filed in court.
According to an account given to Ynet, two other embassy employees were present at the scene and escaped the shooting at the last moment. The two who are American citizens were heading toward a parked car with Lischinsky and Milgram when Rodriguez approached them.
They said they did not know him and were not sure if he was looking for a particular target, but he shot Lischinsky and Milgrim at point-blank range.
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Aftermath of the fatal shooting attack in DC killing two staffers of the Israeli embassy
(Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)
The two ran away, hearing the cries of their two friends who were shot. They were questioned by the DC metropolitan police at the station overnight and returned to the embassy the next morning to attend an impromptu memorial service held for the victims
But for one more staffer of the embassy who left earlier, the four were the only embassy employees attending AJC's event.
The charges against Rodriguez revealed that the murder was measured and cruel, but at some point, his gun malfunctioned and Rodriguez attempted to discharge it again, likely after he had run out of bullets. An eyewitness who saw him before he began his killing spree described him wearing a blue raincoat and attempting to light a cigarette in the rain, which appeared "strange," according to the indictment. After the shooting, he reported that Rodriguez discarded the gun, which the police said they later found nearby.
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Museum security cameras captured the entire attack, including when the gun stalled and Rodriguez is seen attempting to discharge it, without success. The 9 mm pistol was purchased by the accused in Illinois in March of 2020 and was found at the scene, empty of ammunition. In total, 21 bullet cases were found where the murder took place.
The attack, which took place amid rising global tensions over the war in Gaza and a surge in antisemitic incidents, prompted Israeli missions worldwide to increase security and lower flags to half-staff.
“This act of terror is a tragic reminder of the deadly consequences of antisemitism and incitement,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. President Donald Trump also condemned the violence, calling for an end to “hatred and radicalism.”
FBI Director Kash Patel described the shooting as an “act of terror,” while FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said authorities are reviewing writings allegedly authored by Rodriguez expressing anger over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
The victims had attended the American Jewish Committee’s Young Diplomats reception before being shot. Lischinsky worked in the embassy’s political department and had planned to propose to Milgrim during an upcoming trip to Jerusalem.
Witnesses inside the museum described confusion in the moments following the shooting. “We thought he needed help,” said Yoni Kalin, who was among those who initially aided Rodriguez, not realizing he was the gunman.
The Capital Jewish Museum, which recently received federal funding to bolster security, expressed sorrow in a statement: “We are deeply saddened and horrified by the senseless violence.”
Israeli diplomats have historically been targeted amid the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wednesday’s shooting occurred as Israel intensified its military campaign in Gaza, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, which killed 1,200 people and saw hundreds taken hostage.
No attorney was immediately listed for Rodriguez. Federal authorities executed a search at his listed residence in Chicago on Thursday as the investigation continues.