In a striking display of both legal authority and emotional gravity, Jeanine Pirro, the newly appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, convened a press conference on Thursday afternoon. It was here that she laid out the charges against 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, implicated in the tragic shooting deaths of two staffers from the Israeli Embassy. The victims, 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky and 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim, were reportedly on the brink of engagement, leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown D.C. when the incident occurred.
Rodriguez is facing serious legal repercussions, charged in federal court with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as additional felony charges related to the use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. The charges also include the murder of foreign officials, a particularly severe designation. During the court proceedings, Pirro indicated that the death penalty could be a potential outcome as the investigation delves deeper into possible motives relating to terrorism and hate crimes.
Elias Rodriguez, who shot two Israeli Embassy staffers outside Capital Jewish Museum, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and murder of foreign officials. pic.twitter.com/qA526BswFB
— Jerry Dunleavy IV (@JerryDunleavy) May 22, 2025
“These crimes are not going to be tolerated by me and by this office.”
Jeanine Pirro, interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, details the multiple charges facing the suspect in the shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers. https://t.co/S7zhpvUPCO pic.twitter.com/tsraWTKGEG
— ABC News (@ABC) May 22, 2025
According to the charging documents, surveillance footage reveals a chilling sequence of events: Rodriguez crossed the street towards the couple, approached them from behind, and then produced a handgun, opening fire. The assault did not conclude until he had emptied his weapon, continuing to shoot even after the couple fell to the ground. Disturbingly, it is reported that he reloaded his firearm while Milgrim, injured, attempted to crawl away. Twenty-one 9mm shell casings were found at the scene, a grim testament to the brutality of the act.
The newly filed charges against Elias Rodriguez expose the depravity and callousness of the murders. He didn’t just kill Sarah and Yaron—he made sure to finish them.
He followed Sarah as she crawled away in agony after he shot her. He followed her and shot her again. He… pic.twitter.com/T2gjBzlmKR
— Marina Medvin (@MarinaMedvin) May 22, 2025
Rodriguez’s own words betray a chilling motive; he stated, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” while expressing his political sentiments. He had acquired the firearm five years prior in Chicago, illustrating a concerning trajectory from legal purchase to violent act.
Rodriguez, according to court documents, “purchased the firearm on March 6, 2020, in the state of Illinois.”
He flew to D.C. from Chicago on May 20, with officials suggesting he may have traveled for work-related purposes connected to a conference.
— Beatrice Peterson (@MissBeaE on all platforms) (@MissBeaE) May 22, 2025
Authorities have called for public assistance to trace Rodriguez’s activities leading up to the shooting, highlighting the urgent need for community vigilance in the face of such acts of violence.
Video of the press conference can be found below:
