Elias Rodriguez Chicago writer/researcher at HistoryMakers & activist guns down 2 Israeli embassy staffers outside Jewish Museum in Washington D.C.
A gunman is alleged to have shouted, ‘Free Palestine,’ just moments after allegedly shooting and killing two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. as he was taken into custody.
Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago was observed pacing back and forth outside the museum before allegedly opening fire on a group of four people who had momentarily exited the building, Wednesday night just on 9.15 p.m.
The shooting took place following an American Jewish Committee event for young Jewish professionals and diplomats at the museum. The FBI was now investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime and an act of terrorism.
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Rodriguez in the moments after the shooting, entered the building and was offered water and comfort by attendees, who assumed he was a victim of the gun violence.
According to a witness, after spending about 15 minutes inside the museum in an apparent state of shock, Rodriguez asked someone to call police, where he confessed to the murders. The alleged suspect was then taken into custody.
The duo who were fatally shot were described as an Israeli couple who were due to be engaged next week, Israeli ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said.
‘The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing next week in Jerusalem.’
The victims have not been identified but former Israeli Ambassador Mike Herzog said that the woman killed was an American employee of the embassy and the man was Israeli, according to The Associated Press.
The couple were allegedly shot dead at close range.
Rodriguez once in handcuffs identified where he discarded the weapon, which was soon recovered. Of note, the suspect is alleged to have chanted, ‘Free Palestine’ while in custody.
Another witness, Paige Siegel, told Jewish Insider that the suspect also said, ‘I did it for Gaza.’
Israel‘s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon described the shooting as a ‘depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.’
Adding: ‘The shooting outside the event at the Jewish Museum in Washington – in which Israeli embassy employees were also injured – is a criminal act of anti-Semitic terrorism.’
‘Attacking diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line.’
The American Jewish Committee was hosting a Young Diplomats event at the museum on Wednesday night when the shooting unfolded.
It was scheduled to take place 6.30pm and 9pm, and the shooting occured about 9.15pm.
🧵NEW: Elias Rodriguez, the 30 year old suspect in the shooting tonight in DC of 2 staff members of the Israeli Embassy is allegedly an active member of the Party for Socialism & Liberation who marched with BLM, the People’s Congress of Resistance & ANSWER Chicago https://t.co/GC176f5fuA pic.twitter.com/7v9uqmuAMO
— Ari Hoffman 🎗 (@thehoffather) May 22, 2025
Suspect id as Oral History Researcher at The HistoryMakers,
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Embassy, said the duo were shot ‘at close range’ as they celebrated the evening.
Social media was quick to identify the shooter and give a run-down of his history.
Posted Travis Hawley: ‘Elias Rodriguez is an Oral History Researcher at The HistoryMakers, where he prepares detailed research outlines and biographies of accomplished leaders in the African American community. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he holds a B.A. degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to joining The HistoryMakers in 2023, he worked as a content writer for commercial and noncommercial firms in the technology space, both national and regionally based. He enjoys reading and writing fiction, live music, film, and exploring new places. He lives in the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago.’
The shooting comes amid reports of surging antisemitism following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel that has since led to unrelenting bloodshed in Gaza and the deaths of 50K citizens and the displacement of up to 2 million.
Wednesday’s shooting also came less than 24 hours after the Capital Jewish Museum was awarded a security grant amid ongoing concerns about the safety of guests and staff.
‘Jewish institutions all around town, all around the country, are concerned about security due to some very scary incidents that some institutions have faced and because of a climate of antisemitism,’ Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz said.
‘So, we invest a lot of money in security to make sure that we can keep our doors open to the broad public, that this is a welcoming space, but that people are also safe in this space.’
Increasing spate of attacks against Jewish institutions in America
The museum recently launched a new exhibit which they feared would amplify the risks of an attack – LGBT Jews in the Federal City – to coincide with World Pride.
‘We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,’ Gurwitz said. ‘And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.’
The shooting is the latest fatal attack on a Jewish institution. The worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history occurred in 2018, when a gunman killed 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The following year saw three more fatal attacks on a synagogue in California, a rabbi’s house in New York and a kosher supermarket in New Jersey.
Since then, and including over the last 19 months since the start of the war in Gaza, Jewish institutions have bolstered their security.
