Crime & Law
Chicago Man Accused of Killing 2 Israeli Embassy Staffers in DC Now Facing Hate Crime Charges
Law enforcement work the scene after two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum, Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo / Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
The Chicago man accused of gunning down a couple outside an event at a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., now faces federal hate crime and murder charges stemming from the fatal May 21 shooting.
A federal grand jury on Wednesday returned an indictment charging Elias Rodriguez, 31, with several new counts including murder of a foreign official, hate crimes, first-degree murder and assault with intent to kill more than two months after he allegedly killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum.
Rodriguez was heard shouting “Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities have said.
The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty in this case.
“This Justice Department will not tolerate violence motivated by hatred of faith or national origin, and we will enforce our federal civil rights laws accordingly,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement.
According to federal prosecutors, Rodriguez flew from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia, on May 20 with a 9mm handgun in his luggage. The following day, he allegedly bought a ticket online to attend a “Young Diplomats Reception” held by the American Jewish Committee at the museum that evening.
Lischinsky and Milgrim, who were in a romantic relationship and worked as employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, also attended that event. Shortly after they exited the museum, Rodriguez allegedly approached them and two others and fired approximately 20 shots, striking both Lischinsky and Milgrim multiple times.
As police detained him, Rodriguez could be heard yelling “Free Palestine,” according to the indictment, and made additional statements about “intifada,” “revolution” and “free Gaza.”
Witnesses described him pacing outside before approaching a group of four people and opening fire. Surveillance video showed Rodriguez advancing closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim as they fell to the ground, leaning over them and firing additional shots. He appeared to reload before jogging off, officials have said.
After he was arrested, Rodriguez allegedly told detectives that he admired the man who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in February 2024 and described the man as “courageous” and a “martyr,” court documents said.
A neighbor of Rodriguez who lived in the same Northwest Side apartment building described him following the shooting as “a normal, friendly guy.” He said Rodriguez kept a photo in his apartment window of Wadea Al-Fayoume — a 6-year-old Palestinian boy who was fatally stabbed by his neighbor in a 2023 attack in suburban Plainfield Township — that included the caption “Justice for Wadea.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
