WASHINGTON — Two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed outside an event at a Jewish museum in the capital, police said Wednesday.
Shortly after 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, as an event by the pro-Israel advocacy group American Jewish Committee wrapped up at a local Jewish museum in downtown D.C., a man was observed "pacing back and forth" outside of the building, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters.
The man approached a group of four people then opened fire, Smith said. Two people were killed — a man and woman who were a couple, officials said. Afterward, the shooter entered the museum and was detained by event security, Smith said.
"The suspect chanted 'Free, free Palestine' while in custody," Smith added. Police said they had tentatively identified the suspect as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago. He did not have any prior known encounters with police, Smith said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an increase to security arrangements at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world, his office said in a statement. "My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous antisemitic murderer," he said.
The victims were "a couple about to be engaged," said Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter. "The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. They were a beautiful couple who came to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center," Leiter said.
The ambassador said he had received a phone call from President Trump. The president, Leiter said, told him the White House would do "everything they can possibly do to fight and end anti-semitism."
In a post on his social media site Truth Social, President Trump said, "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!"
The shooting took place outside of the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington, less than a mile from the U.S. Capitol. The American Jewish Committee, a pro-Israel Jewish advocacy group, had held an event at the museum on Wednesday night — a reception for Jewish young professionals working in foreign policy.
"We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue," the group's CEO, Ted Deutch, said in a statement to NPR. "Our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families."
"We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on the social media platform X. "Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.
Steve Jensen, an official in the FBI's Washington field office called the shooting "a heinous crime." The FBI is investigating "ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime," he said.
American and Israeli politicians alike denounced the shooting. "Absolutely nothing justifies the murder of innocents," wrote Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on X.
Added Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the U.N.: "Attacking diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line. Israel will continue to act resolutely to protect its citizens and representatives — everywhere in the world."
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