Witness unknowingly spoke with suspected gunman after deadly shooting outside Capital Jewish Museum

Katie Kalisher was at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night when two Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside. She told FOX 5 that she unknowingly spoke with the man authorities later identified as the shooter.

Witness unknowingly spoke to shooter

What we know:

Kalisher said she was attending an event at the museum in northwest Washington for humanitarian aid in Israel and Gaza when she heard gunfire shortly after 9 p.m. Moments later, a man entered the museum and urged people to call the police.

Initially, she believed he had simply witnessed the shooting. "And that's when he reaches into his bag, and pulls out a keffiyeh, and says, ‘I did this, I did for Gaza, free Palestine,’ and starts shouting, 'Free Palestine, free Palestine." she said.

The man, later identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was then taken into custody.

"I had no suspicion. He seemed very upset, but I figured it's because he just saw someone get shot," Kalisher said.

READ MORE: Elias Rodriguez: What we know about suspected gunman in Capital Jewish Museum deadly shooting

Suspect detained after shooting

She described the incident as an antisemitic act. "This is not the first time that I have experienced an antisemitic act firsthand, and I don't think it's going to be the last. I think we have really good reason to be on high alert," she added.

Kalisher told FOX 5 she did not know the victims, 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky and 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim.

After the shooting, police interviewed Kalisher and other witnesses. "I didn't even understand until the police told me for sure he was in fact the shooter. I thought maybe he was just a protester. So, we were really just trying to figure out what was happening in real time," she said.

READ MORE: 2 Israeli Embassy staff members killed in shooting outside DC’s Capital Jewish Museum identified

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Katie Kalisher was at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night when two Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside. She told FOX 5 that she unknowingly spoke with the man authorities later identified as the shooter.

The Source: Information in this article comes from The Associated Press, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Embassy of Israel to the USA, an interview with Katie Kalisher, and previous FOX 5 reporting.

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