"Breaks my heart knowing that two young lives are gone": American civil society mourns death of Israeli diplomats

By Reena Bhardwaj

Washington DC [US], May 23 (ANI): Several people from various walks of life gathered outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where two Israeli embassy staff members were fatally shot. They expressed grief on the killing and called the attacks violent and senseless.

While speaking to ANI, Debby Greenberg, a Jewish person from Virginia, said, "I was horrified and stunned when I saw the news in the middle of the night... I can't believe it has come to US. We live in a different world since October 7 (2023)".

Mariah Charnock, a social worker who works with an NGO told ANI, "Waking up and seeing the news that two young Jewish people were killed so violently and senselessly, I was so angry and sad... It just breaks my heart knowing that two young lives are gone when they were trying to do good in the world".

People gathered in large numbers at the solemn occasion to pay tributes to the Israeli diplomats. They waved flags of Israel and upheld posters which said, "Christians and Jews united against hate".

Two staff members from the Embassy of Israel were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.

The suspect, whom DC police identified as 30-year-old Chicago native Elias Rodriguez, pretended to be a bystander after the shooting, CNN reported, citing an eyewitness.

According to CNN, when police arrived, the man turned himself in and shouted "Free, Free Palestine" while being handcuffed. He is currently in custody, according to authorities. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith said the man "implied that he committed the offense."

Authorities are investigating possible motives, including terrorism and antisemitism, although the full context behind his actions remains under review.

A solemn atmosphere surrounded the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, workplace of the attacked couple.

The embassy flag flied at half-staff. The building remains secured with heightened police surveillance maintaining a perimeter.

Flowers were also placed in memory of the two Jewish individuals who were killed in Wednesday's attack.

Condemnation over the attack have been pouring in from all quarters of the American society.

On the attack, US Vice President JD Vance said that "Antisemitic violence has no place in the United States". (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)