Looked Distressed, Witnesses Mistakenly Helped Man Who Killed Israeli Staff

After the street outside the Capital Jewish Museum in DC echoed with sounds of gunshots, witnesses offered water and help to a man they thought was a traumatised bystander. Minutes later, they learnt he was the man who allegedly shot dead the two Israeli diplomats.

Elias Rodriguez, 30, appeared visibly distressed and disoriented when he entered the museum after Wednesday night's shooting. Witnesses rushed to help him, unaware he had just gunned down Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, outside the American Jewish Committee's ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception.

"He was soaking wet, in a state of shock," Yoni Kalin, who was inside the event, told The NY Post. "We just thought he was a bystander."

Sara Marinuzzi, another witness, said Rodriguez entered the museum shortly after the shooting. "We all figured he was a witness [because] he was so shaken up," she said. He stayed with the group for 10-15 minutes as they believed they were sheltering alongside a fellow survivor.

Witnesses said they acted on instinct. "When a man comes running in distress, the immediate instinct is to help," said Ms Marinuzzi. "And that's what we did."

Mr Kalin recalled Elias Rodriguez being calm until police arrived, when he suddenly confessed, saying, "I did this. I did this for Gaza," and yelled, "Free, Free Palestine. From the river to the sea and there's only one solution, the intifada revolution."

Panic erupted when he reached into his backpack, but instead of a weapon, he pulled out a red keffiyeh scarf. He was then tackled by museum staff and security before being arrested by police.

Mr Lischinsky and Ms Milgrim, colleagues and romantic partners from the Israeli Embassy in DC, were shot at while approaching a crosswalk. Security footage shows Rodriguez walking past them, turning, and firing multiple rounds. After they collapsed, he moved closer and fired again, emptying 21 bullets from a 9mm handgun.

Elias Rodriguez travelled from Chicago to DC a day earlier with the legally purchased gun in his checked baggage. He was in town for a work-related conference.

Mr Lischinsky was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:14 pm. Ms Milgrim died shortly after being taken to the hospital.

Elias Rodriguez now faces multiple charges, including murder. According to police, he admired Aaron Bushnell, the former US serviceman who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy last year, yelling "Free Palestine." Rodriguez called him a "martyr."