CNN
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The Department of Justice is investigating the Washington, DC, shooting that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers as an act of terrorism and a hate crime, as details continue to emerge about the violent act, the victims, and the suspected shooter.
The accused gunman, Elias Rodriguez, faces several federal murder charges, some of which carry the potential for the death penalty, after prosecutors say he shot a young couple as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night and yelled “Free Palestine!” while being arrested.
Rodriguez did not enter a plea when he made his first court appearance on Thursday afternoon and will remain in custody pending future court hearings as investigators dig into his background and work to construct a timeline of Rodriguez’s time in DC leading up to the shooting.
“This is a complicated case involving a large amount of evidence and a large amount of witnesses” and an expansive crime scene, prosecutor Jeff Nestler told the judge.
Here’s what we know about the incident and where the investigation stands.
Rodriguez, a 31-year-old from Chicago, has been charged by the Justice Department with using a firearm to commit murder – which carries the possibility of the death penalty – first degree murder, using a firearm during a violent crime, and two counts of murdering foreign officials.
According to court documents, the 9mm handgun found at the scene of the shooting was purchased by Rodriguez in Illinois in March 2020. Investigators say he declared a firearm in his checked bag when flying from Chicago to Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
Rodriguez appeared to have come to DC for a work conference, the head of the FBI’s Washington field office told reporters Thursday. Rodriguez most recently worked as an administrative specialist with the American Osteopathic Information Association, according to a LinkedIn account with his name and photo.
Steven J. Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the Washington field office, also said the agency is searching Rodriguez’s internet activity and specifically looking into a so-called manifesto that is circulating online.
“We are also executing search warrants for his electronic devices, reviewing his social media accounts and all of his internet postings,” Jensen said. “Regarding some internet postings, we are aware of some writings that are purported to have been authored by this subject, we’re actively investigating to determine both the authorship and the attribution of these writings if they belong to this subject, or not.”
Rodriguez told police he was inspired by a US airman who died last year after setting himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, to draw attention to the war in Gaza, prosecutors said in court documents. The man, Rodriguez said, was a “martyr.”
A CNN review of interviews and writings linked to Rodriguez found that he has a history of political activism, including denouncing corporate power, US military actions and police abuses.
Over the years, Rodriguez has allied publicly with several leftist groups in the Chicago area. A GoFundMe page – that was created in August 2017 and included his photo – sought donations so Rodriguez could attend the People’s Congress of Resistance in DC, an anti-Trump protest event during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Appearing in court on Thursday, Rodriguez, in an all-white detention jumpsuit with a hood and wearing glasses and leg cuffs, watched the judge closely as each of his five charges were read to him.
Officials have identified Sarah Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, as the two Israeli Embassy staffers killed in Wednesday’s shooting.
The couple had met at the embassy, an Israeli official told CNN. Officials and friends have shared that Lischinsky had recently bought a ring to propose to Milgrim in Jerusalem.
Milgrim, a 2021 graduate of the University of Kansas who earned her master’s degree from American University in 2023, started working at the embassy shortly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel. She helped coordinate a variety of groups’ travels to Israel, including political, religious and others, like visitors studying climate change.
Tech2Peace, an organization that provides entrepreneurial training to young Palestinians and Israelis alongside conflict dialogue, described Milgrim as a “a devoted and active volunteer.”
“Sarah was a deeply curious person, always seeking to learn and connect. She brought people together with empathy and purpose, and her dedication to building a better future was evident in everything she did. Her voice and spirit will be profoundly missed,” Tech2Peace said in a statement Thursday.
Meanwhile, Lischinsky, had been working at the embassy’s political section for a little over two years and dreamed of being a diplomat, according to a former professor who described him to CNN as an “outstanding student and a wonderful person.”
Lischinsky grew up in Germany and moved to Israel before coming to Washington, where he met Milgrim.
The Israeli official added to CNN that Lischinsky – who has a Christian mother and Jewish father – identifies as Jewish.
A friend who attended college with Lischinsky remembered him as a “respectful and kind person” who loved books and working in diplomacy,
“What made him stand out was not just his intelligence, but his generosity of spirit,” Jakub Klepek told CNN in a message.
The American Jewish Committee was hosting a “Young Diplomats Reception” at the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night. According to its Eventbrite page – which only made the location of the event available after purchasing a ticket – the event was intended to bring “together Jewish young professionals (ages 22–45) and the diplomatic community.”
According to court documents, Rodriguez told investigators that he had “purchased a ticket to the event at the Museum approximately three hours prior to its commencement.”
Following the event, Rodriguez allegedly “walked past” Lischinsky and Milgrim before “he turned to face their backs and brandished a firearm from the area of his waistband,” according to court documents citing surveillance footage.
He then fired at the couple several times, according to court documents, and then went toward them after they had fallen to the ground, leaning over them “with his arm extended, and firing several more times.”
As Milgrim tried to crawl away, Rodriguez allegedly “followed behind her and fired again.” Rodriguez then appeared to reload his firearm as she began to sit up, and, once he reloaded, he allegedly shot at her again, the documents detailed.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that Rodriguez had waited for police to arrive before saying he carried out the attack “for Gaza.” Once in custody, the gunman chanted: “Free, free Palestine.”
Police recovered 21 fired bullets from the scene, according to court documents.
An Israeli official told CNN that two other Israeli Embassy staffers were with the victims when they were killed but were not injured in the shooting.
What are Trump and foreign leaders saying?
In the early hours of Thursday, Trump expressed his condolences to the victims’families in a Truth Social post, saying “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
Hours later, he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and expressed his “deep sorrow,” according to the prime minister’s office.
Netanyahu also spoke with the victims’ families and told them “that he shares in their deep sorrow, together with the entire Jewish People,” his office said.
Other foreign leaders also issued statements condemning the attack.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the shooting in “the strongest possible terms” and said that “at this stage we must assume an anti-Semitic motive.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry called the shooting an act of “violence and terrorism,” and described the incident as “unacceptable and unjustifiable.” It also extended its condolences to the victims’ families.
Rodriguez will remain behind bars pending future court hearings. The next hearing is scheduled for June 18.
Interim US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro said Thursday that“it is far too early to say” whether the Justice Department will pursue the death penalty against the suspect, although several of the charges carry the potential for a death sentence if convicted.
She added that the murder charges filed are “initial,” and said that “we will add additional charges as the evidence warrants.”
“Because of one person’s actions, two families are left to grieve for dreams that will never be realized,” Pirro said.
Jensen, the FBI official, said the FBI is continuing to look into what happened from the moment Rodriguez landed in the nation’s capital to the time of the shooting, and it has asked the public to send in tips.
The Washington, DC, police department also announced Thursday that it is increasing the number of officers present at religious institutions across the city. Law enforcement in other cities have also announced they are doing the same, including the New York City Police Department and the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Meanwhile, the Capital Jewish Museum said it is working to reopen the museum in the coming days.
CNN’s Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz and Alex Marquardt contributed to this report.
