Israeli embassy gunman Elias Rodriguez faces death penalty after ‘firing 21 shots & reloading as victims crawled away’

THE man suspected of shooting dead two Israeli embassy officials in Washington fired 21 shots and reloaded as his wounded victims crawled away, according to court documents.

Elias Rodriguez, 31, appeared in court yesterday charged with murder - and could face the death penalty if convicted.

The Chicago native was caught on camera unloading several rounds into Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, after pacing outside the Capital Jewish Museum, according to the arrest affidavit.

The pair collapsed after being shot but the gunman continued his onslaught, the document says.

Footage shows him looming over the couple, already ragged by bullets, and firing at them again, charging documents show.

Rodriguez allegedly then pursued Milgrim as she tried to escape and finished her off.

Rodriguez unloaded at least 21 shots during the cold-blooded slaughter, according to police sources, using a high-end German-design H&K 9mm pistol, reports the Post.

It's unclear how many times each victim was shot.

Footage shows Rodriguez shouting "free Palestine" as he is hauled out of the Capital Jewish Museum in handcuffs.

He had been ushered inside alongside civilians in the confusion following the shooting.

A "death penalty eligible case"

The suspect appeared in federal court in Washington on Thursday facing charges of murder of foreign officials - while prosecutors say additional charges are likely.

He was not handcuffed and nodded along while the judge read him the charges, the MailOnline has reported.

Interim US Attorney for the District of Washington Jeanine Pirro, who is leading the prosecution, has said it is "far too early" to say if the death penalty will be sought.

However, she added that this is a "death penalty eligible case".

Heartbreaking details about the victims have emerged in the wake of the tragedy.

The pair were reportedly madly in love, and Lischinsky had secretly bought an engagement ring just days earlier.

He had planned to propose on a vacation to Jerusalem, where they planned to travel on Sunday to see Lischinsky's family who live there.

She never found out that her boyfriend of a year and a half was planning to propose.

Milgrim and Lischinsky, who were both Jewish, were working for the Israeli Embassy when they were killed.

He helped plan missions for Jewish people in America, and Lischinsky was a research assistant.

Milgrim's heartbroken parents have opened up about their love for Lischinsky as they described him as an "incredible" man who was devoted to their daughter.

"He was very much like Sarah: passionate, extremely intelligent, dedicated to what he does, always on the cause of what’s right," her dad Robert told the New York Times.

Tal Naim Cohen, a spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy, mourned the loss of the couple and described seeing their affection for one another just hours before their deaths.

"Yaron and Sarah, words cannot begin to describe the heartbreak and sorrow," she wrote on X.

"Just this morning, we were still laughing together by the coffee corner - and now, all that remains is a picture.

"Instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves. What an unbearable loss."

In a statement released by the Embassy, the two were described as being in the "prime of their lives."

"The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder," the statement said.

"No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time."

Who is Elias Rodriguez?

Elias Rodriguez is the man accused of killing the two Israeli embassy staff in Washington outside the Capital Jewish Museum.

He is understood to have been a far-left activist who was fairly well-known in Washington's protest scene. Resurfaced images appear to show Rodriguez at pro-Gaza demonstrations in the past.

Social media posts also claim he is affiliated with the Party for Socialism & Liberation in the US which is seen as far-left.

The group confirmed in a post on X that Rodriguez had a "brief association" with them.

The group added that Rodriguez was not a member and that his activism with them ended in 2017.

A spokesperson said: “We reject any attempt to associate the PSL with the DC shooting. Elias Rodriguez is not a member of the PSL. We have nothing to do with this shooting and do not support it.”

Source: thesun.co.uk, Patrick Harrington, May 23, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde