Federal charges filed in shooting deaths of Israeli diplomats in D.C.

WASHINGTON (KCTV) - Federal charges have been filed against a Chicago man in connection to the fatal shooting of Overland Park native Sarah Milgrim and her boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky.

Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, faces federal and local charges for murder. Rodriguez, who shouted “free Palestine” after itting to police he shot and killed the couple, who were Israeli Embassy staff .

Rodriguez is charged with the murder of foreign officials, causing death through the use of a firearm and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He’s also charged with two counts of first-degree murder under the D.C. criminal code, according to court documents filed Friday.

“This brutal, anti-Semitic violence has no place in our country or anywhere in civilization,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will follow the facts and secure the most severe possible punishment for the perpetrator of this heinous crime, which robbed two wonderful young people of a bright future together.”

READ MORE: Kansas City’s Jewish community gathers to mourn killing of Sarah Milgrim, Yaron Lischinsky

Rodriguez allegedly opened fire on Milgrim and Lischinsky as they were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee.

Surveillance footage from outside the Capital Jewish Museum reportedly showed Rodriguez walking past the couple before turning and firing multiple rounds. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun and 21 spent shell casings at the scene, court documents said.

The 31-year-old had flown from Chicago to Washington the day prior to the shooting with a handgun declared in his checked luggage.

Milgrim was a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School and the University of Kansas. Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen, and was an official guest of the United States government.

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