Eyewitnesses on US shooting: People brought water to man in distress, only to learn he’s the suspect

Yoni Kalin and Katie Kalisher say they were inside the Capital Jewish Museum when they heard gunshots outside and a man came inside looking distressed.

Kalin says people came to his aid and brought him water, thinking he needed help, without realizing he was the suspect in the shooting, which killed two Israeli Embassy employees.

When police arrived, he pulled out a red keffiyeh and repeatedly yelled, “Free Palestine,’” Kalin says.

“This event was about humanitarian aid,” Kalin says. “How can we actually help both the people in Gaza and the people in Israel? How can we bring together Muslims and Jews and Christians to work together to actually help innocent people? And then here he is just murdering two people in cold blood.”

Last week, the Capital Jewish Museum was one of the local nonprofits in Washington awarded funding from a $500,000 grant program to increase its security. The museum’s leaders were concerned because it is a Jewish organization and due to its new LGBTQ exhibit, according to NBC4 Washington.

“We recognize that there are threats associated with this as well,” Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz tells the TV station. “And again, we want to ensure that our space is as welcoming and secure for everybody who comes here while we are exploring these stories.”