2025 Capital Jewish Museum shooting
| 2025 Capital Jewish Museum shooting | |
|---|---|
Police tape cordoning off the museum after the shooting | |
| Location | outside the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Date | May 21, 2025 9:08 p.m. (EDT) |
| Weapon | 9mm Heckler & Koch VP9 SK semi-automatic handgun |
| Deaths | 2 |
| Victims |
|
| Accused | Elias Rodriguez |
On May 21, 2025, a shooting occurred near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. A gunman opened fire outside the museum during a "Young Diplomats Reception" hosted by the American Jewish Committee, killing two Embassy of Israel staff members who were leaving the event. The victims, a young couple: Yaron Lischinsky, a German-Israeli, and Sarah Milgrim, an American Jew, had attended the event aimed at fostering unity among Jewish young professionals and the diplomatic community.
The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, a 30-year-old man from Chicago, was apprehended by event security staff and reportedly pulled out a keffiyeh, said "I did it. I did it for Gaza" and chanted "Free, free Palestine!" while in custody. Authorities condemned the attack and the FBI and local police launched a joint investigation. The museum had recently raised security concerns amid a broader climate of rising antisemitism affecting Jewish institutions in the United States.