Washington DC shooting: Two Israeli embassy staff killed, suspect in custody

TWO Israeli embassy staffers, a young couple about to be engaged, were killed by a lone gunman as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night, and a suspect is in custody, officials said.

Reuters reported today that the two were shot and killed in the area of 3rd and F Streets in Northwest, a part of central Washington that is about 1.3 miles (2 km) from the White House.

Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said a man shot at a group of four people with a handgun, hitting both the victims. He was seen pacing outside the museum prior to the shooting.

The single suspect, tentatively identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, chanted "Free Palestine, Free Palestine," after being taken into custody, she said.

"After the shooting, the suspect entered the museum and was detained by event security," Smith said. "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 had no previous contact with police, she added.

Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., told reporters the young man killed had "purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem."

President Donald Trump condemned the shooting. "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" he said in a message on Truth Social. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was shocked by the killings.

"My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous anti-Semitic murderer," he said in a statement.

"I have instructed to strengthen security arrangements at Israeli missions around the world and security for state representatives."

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the incident, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X: "We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice."

Attorney General Pam Bondi and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro went to the scene after the shooting.

Deputy FBI Director Don Bongino said the suspect was being interviewed by the police and the FBI.

"Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence," he said in a post on X. "Our FBI team is fully engaged and we will get you answers as soon as we can, without compromising additional leads."

Diplomats Reception

The event at the Capital Jewish Museum was held by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that supports Israel and confronts antisemitism, according to its website.

An online invitation to the event called it the Young Diplomats Reception, describing it as a bringing together of Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45 and the Washington diplomatic community.

Despite the late hour, several people gathered at the scene of the shooting, including one who knelt on the ground at the intersection with an improvised Israeli flag draped over his shoulders.

Aaron Shemtov, who is studying at a rabbinical college in California, said he came to the museum to show support after hearing of the shooting.

"When a member of the community gets murdered and gets killed for who he is, we stand proud, we stand strong, and we never give up," Shemtov said.

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who was also at the scene, said the couple had attended his Washington synagogue occasionally.

"It's very sad to see that instead of these people coming to the ultimate celebration of their life - they were about to get engaged - they get shot dead in the street just because of who they are," said the rabbi, who is also the executive vice president of the Jewish group American Friends of Lubavitch. - May 22, 2025