Who is Elias Rodriguez, suspected of shooting 2 Israeli embassy staffers?
Rodrigues, a 30-year-old from Chicago, was spotted pacing near the spot, and was detained by authorities in the museum event after the shooting in Washington DC
Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old native of Chicago, has been named as the prime suspect in the fatal shooting of two Jewish Israeli embassy staffers at the Capital Jewish museum in Washington DC.
The victims, identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim by the Israeli Embassy were shot and killed in the area of 3rd and F streets in Northwest, which is near the museum and the US attorney’s office, according to reports.
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Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington, said that the two staffers were shot ‘at close range’ while attending an event at the museum.
Who is Elias Rodriguez?
Elias Rodriguez is a 30-year-old resident of Chicago.
According to unconfirmed reports, he has been involved in socialist activism with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and has participated in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
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In 2017, during a demonstration on the anniversary of Laquan McDonald's murder by Chicago police, Rodriguez argued that the city's bid to host an Amazon headquarters and the police killing were interconnected issues, talking about systemic racism and economic inequality.
Laquan McDonald was a 17-year-old Black teenager who was shot 16 times by a Chicago police officer, Jason Van Dyke, on October 20, 2014.
Opened fire on four people
The depraved incident occurring very close to the FBI’s Washington Field Office has sparked a massive response from local and national law enforcement, while leaving the city’s Jewish community rattled.
Washington Police chief Pamela Smith assured the public that extensive investigations along with the support of the Federal agencies into the incident have begun.
Elias, according to eyewitness reports, was seen frantically ‘pacing up and down’ the street before the incident.
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Smith also said that “he approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire, striking both of our decedents. After shooting the suspect, [he] then entered the museum, and was detained by event security.”
A handgun weapon was recovered at the scene, and the shooting is being treated as a targeted act of violence, as further investigation is conducted into the incident.
Suspect entered museum after murders
According to Fox 45 DC, Yoni Kalin, a guest who heard the gunshots while at the event, Elias had entered the event after shooting the 2 decedents.
He was seen as being in shock and was even helped by some patrons in the event with water.
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Ten minutes later, when police arrived, he identified himself as the killer and began shouting “Free Palestine” while being detained, said the onlooker.
Victims were a couple
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said the two people killed were a young couple about to be engaged.
He explained that Yaron had purchased a ring this week with the intent to propose to Sarah next week in Jerusalem.
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As reported by BBC, JoJo Kalin, a board member of the American Jewish Committee who organized the event, said after the murders, “I didn't know the couple who were shot but I do feel a sense of guilt, and it's a very uniquely Jewish thing to feel guilty for the fact that they were there because of an event I organised and then feeling guilty about my guilt when I shouldn't be centering myself when people's lives were just lost.”
Event organised by American Jewish committee
The event was part of the AJC (American Jewish Committee) ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception, designed to connect Jewish young professionals and diplomats.
The theme of the evening was “turning pain into purpose,” with speakers from humanitarian groups focused on the Middle East and North Africa.
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The victims were on their way to attend this particular event when they were waylaid and shot by the suspect.
Ignite new tensions
This depraved incident comes in the wake of boiling tensions between Israel and Palestine in the aftermath of the October 2023 killings of Israel citizens by Hamas.
This act forced Israel to retaliate by launching a gruelling ongoing offensive into Gaza and the West Bank, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians.
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Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and protests have surged in response to Israel’s attacks, and have contributed to rising fear among the Palestinian and Jewish communities in the United States.