The Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)
By Louis Keene and Jacob KornbluhMay 21, 2025
Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed outside an event in Washington, D.C., around 9 p.m. Wednesday night, according to local and federal officials, by a suspect who appeared to target them in an antisemitic attack.
The shooting took place following an American Jewish Committee event for young Jewish professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum. The FBI is investigating whether the shooting is a hate crime and an act of terrorism.
The two staffers were “a young couple about to be engaged,” according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem,” Leiter said at a news conference.
They were shot at close range, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy said in a statement reported by multiple outlets.
Police say the suspect is in custody. Prior to the shooting, he “was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum,” said Pamela A. Smith, Chief of Police for the Metropolitan Police Department.
“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.
“Once in handcuffs, the suspect identified where he discarded the weapon, and that weapon has been recovered and he implied that he committed the offense. The suspect chanted, ‘Free Palestine’ while in custody,” she said.
The suspect has been tentatively identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, Illinois, Smith said.
‘Are you okay? Were you shot? What happened?’
Yoni Kalin, who was at the event, told Fox 5 DC that he heard gunshots and then, “I did see somebody run in. The security guard happened to let this guy in. I guess they were thinking that he was a victim, and he was covered in rain. He was clearly in trauma. He was in shock. Some of the people at the event brought him water. They sat him down. ‘Are you okay? Were you shot? What happened?’
“And he’s like, ‘Somebody call the cops, bring the cops in.’ So about 10 minutes later, when the cops actually came in, he said, ‘I did this.’ He said, ‘Sir, I’m unarmed.’ He put his, put his hands up, he grabbed a red keffiyeh out of his pocket and started the ‘Free Palestine’ chant.”
Kalin said that the suspect continued yelling ‘Free Palestine’ as he was being dragged out of the building. “I tried to hand his keffiyeh back because I didn’t really realize that he murdered two people,” he said.
Federal officials investigating
Attorney General Pam Bondi tweeted that she was “on the scene of the horrible shooting,” along with U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Praying for the victims of this violence as we work to learn more,” Bondi added.
Leiter said President Trump spoke to him on Bondi’s phone and said “that his administration is going to do everything it can possibly do to fight and end antisemitism” and “the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on X, “I’m closely monitoring the shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum tonight in DC. This sickening shooting seems to be another horrific instance of antisemitism which as we know is all too rampant in our society. I’m praying for those who were killed, all those affected, and their families.”
The fatal shooting “is a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism,” said Israeli United Nations Ambassador Danny Danon in a statement. “Harming the Jewish community is crossing a red line. We are confident that the US authorities will take strong action against those responsible for this criminal act. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives – everywhere in the world.”
“I want to be clear that we will not tolerate this violence or hate in our city,” said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. “We will not tolerate any acts of terrorism, and we’re going to stand together as a community, in the coming days and weeks to send the clear message that we will not tolerate antisemitism.”
“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue,” AJC chief executive Ted Deutsch wrote on X. “At this moment, as we await more information from the police about exactly what transpired, our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”
The AJC had advertised the evening as a cocktail event for young Jewish professionals and diplomats. Its website said the location would be provided to those who registered, a practice that many Jewish groups have adopted at a time of high alert.
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. The Capital Jewish Museum, which opened in 2023, had just gotten a security grant from Washington, D.C. this week. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the city would consult with local Jewish institutions to ensure that they are safe after the shooting.
JTA contributed to this report.
