Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old from Chicago, faces federal and local murder charges following the shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Jewish National Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen, and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.
Rodriguez is charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through firearm use, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. He also faces two counts of first-degree murder under D.C.'s criminal code.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi stated that "this brutal, anti-Semitic violence has no place in our country or anywhere in civilization." She emphasized pursuing severe punishment for the crime's perpetrator.
U.S. Attorney Pirro expressed community grief over the incident: “Our community is reeling. Because of one person’s actions, two families are left to grieve for dreams that will never be realized.” She reaffirmed accountability for acts harming citizens or visitors to Washington.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon noted that “hateful violence against Jewish Americans will be met with the full force of the Justice Department,” highlighting efforts to expand enforcement and hold perpetrators accountable.
Jensen confirmed that "this attack was targeted, antisemitic violence," pledging continued investigation by using all available resources.
Chief Smith assured increased police presence at religious institutions citywide as a safety measure while collaborating with federal partners.
The affidavit alleges Rodriguez fired upon victims leaving an American Jewish Committee event attended by Jewish professionals and diplomats. Surveillance reportedly shows him firing multiple rounds at close range after initially passing them by. Investigators found a handgun and spent shell casings at the scene.
Afterward, Rodriguez allegedly entered the museum where his involvement was confirmed through witness accounts and surveillance footage. He had traveled from Chicago to Washington with his firearm declared in checked luggage before committing the murders.
The FBI's Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department are investigating this case alongside prosecution efforts from the United States Attorney’s Office for D.C., aided by DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
A criminal complaint serves as an allegation; defendants remain innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
