The U.S. Justice Department charged a Chicago resident with murder Thursday after the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers.
Elias Rodriguez, 31, is alleged to have killed Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington on Wednesday night. He faces local and federal charges.
Politicians with local and state ties have since decried the attack.
“As a Jew who led the building of a museum dedicated to standing up against bigotry and hatred, I know how sacred these places are and what trauma this incident has caused,” Gov. JB Pritzker posted on X.
Pritzker added that Americans are obligated to “stand for peace and reject bigotry.” He said a team member that attended the event was “shaken up” but safe.
In an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) echoed Pritzker’s sentiment.
“Violence has no place, no place, in our society and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Durbin said. “There is no justification, none, for hate speech, hate crimes or antisemitism, either from the left or the right side of the political spectrum.”
According to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Rodriguez told a Metropolitan Police Department officer on the scene, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed.” As he was escorted away by police, he shouted, “Free Palestine,” according to the affidavit.
On X, congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh said she was “horrified” by the shooting.
“The fact that the gunman said he did it to ‘free Palestine’ makes me nauseous,” Abughazaleh said in a post. “Murdering people for their nationality is abhorrent. This violence hurts Jews, Israelis, *and* Palestinians.”
Evanston Mayor and congressional candidate Daniel Biss also took to X after the shooting, saying he was “furious and heartbroken.” State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) made a similar post, and both called for action to fight against hate.
“My heart is with the victims, their families, and the Jewish community,” Fine wrote on X. “We must unite, speak out, and ensure hate has no safe harbor in America.”
Email: h.webster@dailynorthwestern.com
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