Washington shooter told police, ‘I did it for Gaza,’ court documents say

Elias Rodriguez, the man who allegedly killed two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, last night approached police on the scene after the shooting and told them, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to court documents.

As police escorted him from the building, Rodriguez shouted, “Free Palestine,” an affidavit filed by FBI investigators says.

The document says police reviewed security footage showing Rodriguez walked past the victims outside the museum, then turned, pulled a firearm from his waistband, and shot them in the back.

After the victims fell to the ground, he approached them and fired several more times, as one of the victims, Sarah Milgrim, attempted to crawl away from him. Milgrim then sat up while Rodriguez reloaded, and he shot her again, the video shows, according to the affidavit.

Investigators recovered 21 empty shell cases and a 9mm handgun from the scene taht matched a firearm Rodriguez purchased in Illinois in 2020. He flew from Chicago to Virginia with the firearm in his checked baggage, the affidavit says.

Rodriguez late told detectives that he admired Aaron Bushnell, an anti-Israel activist who self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy last year, calling Bushnell a “martyr.” Rodriguez also said he had bought a ticket to the event at the museum three hours before it started.