Two Israeli Embassy staff members killed outside Jewish museum in Washington, DC
Two Israeli Embassy staff members killed outside Jewish museum in Washington, DC
By Alex Marquardt, Gabe Cohen, Holmes Lybrand, Kaanita Iyer and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 12:59 AM EDT, Thu May 22, 2025
Follow:Gun violence
Police officers work at the site where officials say two Israeli embassy staff members were killed near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, early Thursday morning. Jonathan Ernst/ReutersCNN —
Two staff members at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, were killed Wednesday night near the Capital Jewish Museum, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said.
“Two Israeli Embassy staff were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington DC,” Noem said in a post on X. “We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share.”
Speaking at a news conference, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said law enforcement believes the shooting was conducted by a single suspect who is now in custody.
The suspect, who Smith named as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, “was observed pacing back and forth outside of the museum” before he “approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire striking both of our decedents,” she said.
After the shooting, Smith said that the suspect then entered the museum and was detained by event security. Once handcuffed, he told security where he had discarded the weapon, which was recovered by authorities. The suspect chanted “Free, Free Palestine” while in custody, Smith said.
The victims were a “young couple about to be engaged,” Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, said at the news conference. “A young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.”
Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy, said in a statement that two staff members were shot “at close range” while attending a Jewish event at the museum.
The Israeli ambassador was not involved in the incident and was not at the location when the shooting happened, an embassy spokesperson told CNN.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an earlier post on social media that she and acting US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro had arrived at the scene of the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum. At the news conference following the shooting, Bondi said she had spoken with President Donald Trump multiple times that evening.
Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter and US Attorney General Pam Bondi visit the site of the shooting. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Ted Deutch, the CEO of the Americ
