Washington, D.C.- What started out as a quiet evening for young professionals turned into a horrific tragedy near the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night. A young couple, both working at the Israeli embassy, were shot and murdered just a few steps from the museum entrance. The man had recently purchased an engagement ring and was going to propose while they traveled to Jerusalem on their next trip.
The shooting occurred at 9 p.m. after the couple attended a museum gala for Jewish business professionals. Witnesses describe the assailant, who was later known to be 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, as walking back and forth outside for a few minutes before he suddenly drew a gun and started firing at the group. Two were instantly killed. Two others in the vicinity escaped unharmed.
Following the shooting, Rodriguez allegedly entered the museum in shock. Not knowing what had occurred, those attending the event provided him with water and attempted to assist him. However, once the police arrived, events changed. Rodriguez drew out a red scarf that is referred to as a keffiyeh and started yelling, “Free, free Palestine!” Museum security at that time held him until the police intervened and brought him in for questioning.
The authorities now are looking into the attack as a potential hate crime or even terrorism. The FBI terrorism task force has been brought in. Police report that Rodriguez had no record and that the attack appeared to be targeted.
Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter confirmed that the victims were a couple who were in a relationship and were about to get engaged. “This was a young love full of hope,” he said. “It was stolen in a moment of hate.”
Responses came in from all over the globe. Israeli President Isaac Herzog referred to the shooting as “a despicable act of hatred, of antisemitism.” Former U.S. President Donald Trump reacted on social media, stating, “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW! Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA.”
The victims’ names have not yet been publicly released, pending notification of their families. Both were in their twenties and had come to the U.S. to serve their country with pride. According to people who knew them, they were deeply in love, with the man planning to propose in Jerusalem the following week.
The Capital Jewish Museum, which opened its doors in 2023, is intended as a site of education, conversation, and remembrance. Tonight, it was the site of a tragic loss.
The attack has horrified the Jewish and diplomatic communities and angered them. Many are now demanding more action be taken against growing hate crimes and improved protection for institutions of religion, culture, and peace.
What was to be a happy page in the lives of two youths became one of silence, grief, and a further call for peace in a world that still grapples with hatred.
