The person who is thought to have killed two Israeli Embassy workers outside of Washington, D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, and other crimes.
Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago has been named as the suspect. He is also accused of killing someone with a gun and firing a gun during a violent crime.
The shooting is being looked into as both a hate crime and an act of terrorism, and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that more charges could be brought. The attack was planned, according to the police.
“This is a horrific crime, and these crimes are not going to be tolerated by me and my office,” said Pirro.
Pirro said Rodriguez went to court on Thursday and was told by the judge that he could get the death penalty or life in jail if he is found guilty. There will be a preliminary hearing on June 18, and Rodriguez will still be in jail.
Two people who worked at the Israeli Embassy in Washington were named as the victims: Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. For reporters, Israel’s minister to the U.S. said they were a young couple who were going to get married soon.
The couple was shot as they were leaving an event at the museum in D.C. on Wednesday night. The museum is close to the FBI’s field office. Metro Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said it was reported at 9:08 p.m. local time.
There will be “an increased presence of law enforcement officers around the community,” Smith told reporters Thursday. This includes schools and places of worship.
That person was seen “pacing back and forth outside of the museum” before the killing, according to the police. Press officer Smith said the attacker then walked up to a group of four people, pulled out a gun, and started shooting.
Documents that explain the charges say that Rodriguez walked up to the couple after shooting them and fired “several more times.” It is said that Milgrim sat up after being shot, refilled his gun, and fired again at her, hitting her.
Milgrim was shot several times, and he was declared dead at 9:35 p.m., after DC Fire and EMS took him to the hospital. The police said Lischinsky was dead at 9:14 p.m.
Records from the court show that a 9 mm gun shot a total of 21 rounds. A gun magazine and a pistol with the slide locked were found nearby.
The federal government tracked down the gun and says records show Rodriguez bought it in Illinois on March 6, 2020. A person with knowledge of the investigation said that the handgun was bought properly.
Court records show that Rodriguez went from Chicago O’Hare Airport to Reagan National Airport with the gun in his checked luggage. An statement shows that he had told the police about the gun.
Rodriguez asked to speak with police when they got to the museum and told them, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed,” according to the charging papers. Rodriguez was then put in jail.
Asst. Director of the FBI in Washington, D.C., Steven Jensen said the suspect came to the city on May 20 for a work meeting. It’s not clear how the suspect found out about the event at the museum, but he told police that he bought a ticket three hours before the killing.
Katie Kalisher, a woman who was at the event, told CBS News that she met the suspect right after the killing. She said they only talked for a short time before he took a keffiyeh out of his bag and said, “I did it.” “I did it for Gaza,” he said, then yelled, “Free Palestine!”
