What we know after Chicago man suspected of killing 2 Israeli Embassy staffers in DC

UPDATE: Thursday morning, the FBI surrounded a Chicago address tied to the suspected gunman. Our latest update can be found here.

The man suspected of shooting and killing Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. Wednesday is a 30-year-old man from Chicago, according to police.

The shooting took place around 9:15 p.m. as the two victims were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, when the suspect approached a group of four people and opened fire, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said.

The suspect who was observed pacing outside the museum before the shooting, walked into the museum after the shooting and was detained by event security, Smith said.

According to officials, first responders found the victims unconscious at the scene. Life-saving efforts did not save them.

As more information continues to unfold, here's what we know right now.

The suspect

The suspect in the deadly shooting was identified by police as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago. The FBI's Chicago Field Office is assisting the Washington Field Office in their investigation.

According to officials, the gunman paced outside the museum before opening fire, striking a man and a woman. He then entered the museum where he was detained by security. According to officials, the gunman discarded the weapon inside the museum but it was recovered.

While in custody, the suspect shouted, "Free, free Palestine," Smith said.

Video obtained by NBC News, taken by an attendee at the Capital Jewish Museum and shared on social media, shows the suspected gunman being led out of the building.

Witnesses Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher were inside the museum when they heard gunshots and a man came inside looking distressed, they said. Kalin said people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect. When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin said.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin said. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

The victims

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Lischinsky was a research assistant, and Milgrim organized visits and missions to Israel.

In a post on X, the embassy said the two victims were “in the prime of their lives.”

Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives.

This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC.

The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words… pic.twitter.com/2HytKDp8Fr

— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) May 22, 2025

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter said they were a young couple about to get engaged, and that Yaron had just purchased a ring and intended to propose next week in Jerusalem.

The shooting occurred following the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomat's reception at the Jewish Museum in Washington D.C.

'An attack on the Jewish community'

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish, released a statement on the deadly shooting, calling it "an attack on the Jewish community." Pritzker also said a member of his team was attending the event when the shooting occurred.

"While they are shaken up, they are thankfully safe," the statement said. "MK and I are praying for the victims and their families and all of those affected by this tragedy."

“An evening of connecting and belonging hosted by the American Jewish Committee quickly turned into a nightmare," the statement continued. "Young Jewish people and diplomats came together in a museum built to honor their shared history but then had to flee gun shots and witness the killing of a young couple. As a Jew who led the building of a museum dedicated to standing up against bigotry and hatred, I know how sacred these places are and what trauma this incident has caused."

Pritzker, who is Jewish, helped to establish and raise funds for The Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, which opened in 2009. His full statement is below:

I was horrified to hear of the deadly shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC last night. Shortly after the incident occurred, I learned that a member of my team was attending the event. While they are shaken up, they are thankfully safe. MK and I are praying for the victims and their families and all of those affected by this tragedy. ​

“Law enforcement has apprehended the suspected gunman, and although the investigation continues, make no mistake: this was an attack on the Jewish community.

“An evening of connecting and belonging hosted by the American Jewish Committee quickly turned into a nightmare. Young Jewish people and diplomats came together in a museum built to honor their shared history but then had to flee gun shots and witness the killing of a young couple. As a Jew who led the building of a museum dedicated to standing up against bigotry and hatred, I know how sacred these places are and what trauma this incident has caused.

“Whether it’s gun violence or the rising tide of antisemitism, Americans of all backgrounds have an urgent obligation to stand for peace and reject bigotry in all its forms and in every way possible.”

'Shocking act of violence'

"We are devastated that two cherished friends and partners from the Israeli embassy were shot and killed as they left an American Jewish Committee event at the Capitol Jewish Museum earlier this evening," AJC CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement.

Deutch called the shooting a "shocking act of violence."

"While we wait for the conclusion of the police investigation — and urge all our friends and allies to do the same — it strongly appears that this was an attack motivated by hate against the Jewish people and the Jewish state," the statement went on to say. "This senseless hate and violence must stop."

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon posted on the social media platform X calling it “a depraved act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s office said Thursday that he was “shocked” by the “horrific, antisemitic” shooting.

“We are witnessing the terrible price of antisemitism and wild incitement against Israel,” he said in a statement.

Dan Bongino, deputy director of the FBI, wrote in a post on social media that “early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence.”