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The family of the pro-Palestinian suspect accused of murdering two young Israeli diplomats was stunned by the horrific attack in Washington D.C.
Daily Mail reached out to the parents of Elias Rodriguez, 30, on Thursday morning, just hours after their son allegedly shot and killed the two victims at close range outside the Jewish Museum on Wednesday night.
When inquiring about her thoughts on the shocking incident, a nervous-sounding woman at the Franklin Park residence of the suspect’s mother, Elvira Rodriguez, quickly responded, ‘I have no comment,’ before abruptly ending the call.
Meanwhile, the accused killer’s father, Eric Rodriguez, appeared to be too distraught to speak.
At his address in Chicago, a woman came to the phone and explained that he is not speaking to anyone at this time.
The stunned silence from the family comes as a chilling manifesto believed to be left by the suspected shooter pays tribute to his loved ones, amid a rambling diatribe about the conflict in Gaza and the American government.
‘I love you Mom, Dad, baby sis, the rest of my familia, including you, O*****,’ the manifesto, obtained and shared online by journalist Ken Klippenstein, reads.
In the manifesto, signed off with the suspect’s name, Rodriguez appears to defend the ‘morality of armed demonstration’ as he railed against the death toll in Gaza.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, allegedly shot and killed two victims at point-blank range outside the Jewish Museum Wednesday night
Pictured: Rodriguez’s home in Chicago. The family of the pro-Palestinian suspect were lost for words when reached by DailyMail.com
In a seeming hint at what he was about to do, the 900-word statement said he was ‘glad that today at least there are many Americans for which the action will be highly legible and, in some funny way, the only sane thing to do.’
It was posted online around the time of the shooting, which claimed the lives of young couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
The two victims were soon to be engaged.
They had been attending a Young Diplomats event hosted by the American Jewish Committee at the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night.
At the end of the event, Lischinsky and Milgrim were stood outside with a group of people when a gunman approached and opened fire.
In the chaotic aftermath, the suspect was pulled inside the building by security staff believing him to be an innocent bystander and handed water as he appeared to be in shock.
The shooting claimed the lives of young couple Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim
The American Jewish Committee was hosting a Young Diplomats event at the museum on Wednesday night
When police arrived on the scene, Rodriguez allegedly confessed to police that he was the assailant, telling officers he ‘did it for Gaza.’
A witness told Fox5 that he pulled out a red keffiyeh – a Palestinian scarf – from his pocket and waved it, shouting ‘Free, free Palestine’ as he was hauled into custody.
The suspect also led police to the murder weapon, police said.
Prior to the deadly shooting, Rodriguez was not known to police, according to Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith.
FBI agents in full tactical gear descended on his apartment set in a leafy courtyard in Chicago as the investigation into the attack continues.
Before Wednesday’s shooting, Rodriguez has previously taken part in liberal, pro-Palestinian protests.
Photos show him at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2017.
That same year, he was quoted in an article by Liberation condemning the police shooting of black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald and railing against then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s plans to allow Amazon to build a headquarters in the city.
‘The wealth that Amazon has brought to Seattle has not been shared with its black residents,’ Rodriguez said in the paper, which is ran by the activist group Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PSL).
‘Amazon’s whitening of Seattle is structurally racist and a direct danger to all workers who live in that city.
A nervous-sounding woman at the Franklin Park home (pictured) of the shooting suspect’s mom Elvira Rodriguez abruptly said ‘I have no comment’ before quickly hanging up the phone
At the suspect’s father’s address in Chicago, a woman explained he is not speaking to anyone at the moment
‘So, do we in Chicago and all across the country want a nation of cities dominated and occupied by massive corporations where only the rich and white can live and the vast majority of us must live on edges of the city and society living in deeper and deeper poverty?’
Despite his past connections to the PSL, the group issued a statement on X saying that Rodriguez is not a member and has no affiliation to the group.
According to his LinkedIn, Rodriguez works as a profiles administrative specialist at the American Osteopathic Information Association – a non-profit that focuses on promoting osteopathic medicine.
The shooting suspect pictured calmly sitting outside the museum following his arrest
Rodriguez shouted pro-Palestinian statements as he was taken into custody for the shooting
Prior to this, he worked at The History Makers – a non-profit research and educational institution focused on telling ‘the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans’ – between 2023 and 2024.
DailyMail.com has reached out to both organizations.
A woman at The History Makers hung up the phone when asked for comment about their former employee.
