Rodriguez shouted, “Free, free Palestine” after being arrested.
WASHINGTON — Following the tragic shooting of an Israeli embassy couple as they departed an event at the Capital Jewish Museum late Wednesday evening, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago was taken into custody.
Police Chief Pamela Smith of D.C. stated that Rodriguez had made his way inside the museum during an American Jewish Committee gathering earlier that night, vocalizing, “Free, free Palestine.” The victims, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were shot outside the museum after the event.
Later, after Rodriguez was arrested and accused of killing the couple, he repeated the chant while in custody, Smith said.
In the wake of the incident, FBI agents conducted a search of Elias Rodriguez’s home in Chicago on Thursday. His social media profiles revealed multiple posts criticizing the American government for insufficient action against Israeli operations impacting Palestinians amidst the Gaza War. Mere hours before the fatal shooting on Wednesday night, a detailed message entitled “Escalate for Gaza, Bring the Way Home” was shared on an X account, which CBS News associates with Rodriguez.
While there’s been a lot shared about Rodriguez online in the wake of the shooting, here’s what we can confirm about him at this time.
Rodriguez lives in Chicago, where he works for the American Osteopathic Information Association. Teresa A. Hubka, president of the American Osteopathic Association, and Kathleen S. Creason released this statement Thursday morning:
“The American Osteopathic Association (AOA) joins with the American Osteopathic Information Association (AOIA) to express our profound sorrow in response to the tragic shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening. We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime. Both the AOIA and AOA stand ready to cooperate with the investigation in any way we can. As a physician organization dedicated to protecting the health and sanctity of human life, we believe in the rights of all persons to live safely without fear of violence. We extend our deepest sympathy to the victims’ loved ones, wishing them peace, comfort and strength during this unimaginably difficult time.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Rodriguez began working at AOIA in July 2024. Before that, according to the experience section, he lists being an oral history researcher for The HistoryMakers, a nonprofit dedicated to making a digital archive of Black history.
In an author biography on The HistoryMakers’ website, it says Rodriquez attended the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned a bachelor of arts degree in English.
Some accounts online posted that Rodriguez was a part of the Party of Socialism and Liberation. The PSL said that though he may have been affiliated years ago, he is not anymore.
“We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the D.C. shooting,” the organization wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL. He had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017. We know of no contact with him in over seven years. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.”
