What happened in D.C. shooting that killed woman from Kansas? What we know
A shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 21, killed two staff members from the Israeli Embassy, one of whom was from the Kansas City area, according to national reports.
The New York Times and The Washington Post confirmed the identity of the two killed staff members as Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. The couple were leaving the museum after attending an event hosted when the shooter, who authorities have “tentatively identified” as Elias Rodriguez, opened fire, according to The Washington Post.
Here’s what we know about the shooting.
What happened with the Jewish Museum shooting?
The shooting took place around 8 p.m. Central Standard Time outside the Capital Jewish Museum, according to reports. When police arrived, they discovered two people had been shot and pronounced both dead on the scene.
The victims were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee’s young professional division. The annual reception brings together Jewish young professionals from ages 22 to 45 and diplomats from around the world, according to a press release from the AJC.
The shooting will be investigated as a possible hate crime, said Steven J. Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the suspect “will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law” and lauded law enforcement for their response, according to CNN.
Who were the victims?
Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were killed in the shooting. They were “in the prime of their lives” and planning to get married, according to the Israeli Embassy.
“Instead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves,” spokeswoman Tal Naim said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Milgrim was a Kansas City area native, growing up in Prairie Village and attending Shawnee Mission East High School. She attended and graduated from the University of Kansas in the spring of 2021.
She had previously spoke local television station KSHB in 2017 about antisemitism, when her high school was investigating vandalism that included swastikas on the building.
“It’s so ignorant that you would bring up a symbol like that, that would bring so much pain to people,” Milgrim, then a senior at the high school, said to KSHB. “You know, I worry about going to my synagogue and now I have to worry about my safety at my school and that shouldn’t be a thing.”
Milgrim and Lischinsky met while working at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Milgrim’s father, Robert told The New York Times. Lischinsky had just bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose to Milgrim soon.
Who is the shooter?
The shooter is “tentatively identified” as Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old man from Chicago, according to reports.
It’s believed he was “observed pacing back and forth outside the museum” before the shooting, D.C. police chief Pamela A. Smith said during a press conference Wednesday. After the shooting , he entered the museum, where he was detained by security, according to The Washington Post.
Smith said during the press conference that Rodriguez “approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire, striking both of our decedents.” He then chanted “free, free Palestine” while in custody, Smith said.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 10:53 AM.
