DC shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez was member of far-left group

The suspect in the shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers at an event in Washington, DC, was apparently a member of a radical left-wing group that advocated on behalf of Palestinians.

The man, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, was detained by event security after he walked into the Capital Jewish Museum right after opening fire at a group of people leaving the event, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at a news conference. “The suspect chanted, ‘Free, free Palestine,’ while in custody,” she said.

Rodriguez attended a 2017 protest outside the home of then-Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel as a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, according to the group’s Liberation newspaper. On Wednesday, the Marxist-Leninist group urged followers online to sign a pledge aimed at stopping Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians. The 2017 protest was not thought to be tied to Emanuel’s Israeli heritage.

Sign the pledge against genocide!

A new campaign launched by Palestinians in the diaspora and in the region is aiming to gather 1 million signatures to show the massive opposition that exists around the world to the U.S.-Israeli massacre in Gaza

Sign the pledge here:… pic.twitter.com/ZrnIzCLGiZ

— Party for Socialism and Liberation (@pslnational) May 21, 2025

According to a LinkedIn profile Rodriguez worked since 2024 as an administrative specialist for the Chicago-based American Osteopathic Association.

Prior to that he was an oral history researcher for The History Makers, an online repository for accounts of African American lives started by Carnegie Mellon University. A profile on the History Makers website says Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and “enjoys reading and writing fiction, live music, film, and exploring new places.”

According to the profile, Rodriguez is a resident of the Avondale neighborhood of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Illinois.