FBI hauls boxes of evidence from Chicago home of D.C. Jewish Museum shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez
FBI agents left a property in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood that is connected to the suspect in a deadly shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. with boxes of evidence in hand Thursday afternoon.
Around 9 a.m. the FBI confirmed their Chicago field office was conducting "court-authorized law enforcement activity" at a home in the 4700 block of North Troy Street in support of the FBI's Washington Field Office as they investigate the shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum late Wednesday night.
Chicago police blocked off roads around property and agents wearing heavy protective gear and with K9 units were seen coming and going from the building all morning and into the afternoon. Agents eventually left around 1:50 p.m., carrying boxes, luggage and backpacks. At one point they were seen towing a Hyundai Accent, which is registered to the suspect.
Neighbors of 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who was arrested outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. after allegedly shooting two Israeli Embassy employees who were leaving an event, were shocked by the search.
"There's a picture in his window, have you seen it?" said neighbor John Wayne Fry. "It's a picture of the Palestinian child who was stabbed to death. And that gives me the impression that they were very, very sensitive people. Especially about the issue of Palestine."
The victims were identified as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim by the Israeli foreign ministry. Milgrim was an American, officials said, while LIschinsky was Israeli. Both died.
The suspect was seen "pacing back and forth outside the museum" before he approached a group of four people, pulled out a gun and fatally shot two victims, said Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith.
Smith said Rodriguez then went into the museum where he was arrested by museum security. A handgun was recovered, police said.
Video showed the suspect chanted "Free, free Plaestine!" while he was being arrested.
The photo of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi, who was murdered by his family's landlord in Plainfield, still hangs in the window of Rodriguez's two-bedroom apartment. While the FBI would not share details of their investigation, Fry described Rodriguez as friendly and quiet. He said he lived in the building with another person, though he didn't know their relationship. Two names are listed on the mailbox.
Fry said he spoke infrequently with the suspect, something he now regrets.
"I wish I had an opportunity to talk with him because if I had, I would have talked him out of it," he said.
Fry said he's hoping for an end to the deaths, in D.C. and in Gaza, though he doesn't have words when asked about his neighbor's future.
"I learned during the Vietnam War you don't stop war with guns and bombs," he said. "You stop by going to your neighbors, talking to your neighbors, and there is something more powerful than a bullet. Something more powerful than a bomb. And it's called a vote."
Fry said Rodriguez has lived in the building for several years. He passed by the door of his apartment on his way in, finding it cracked open about four inches, but was unable to see what law enforcement was collecting.
Meanwhile, records show Rodriguez's mom lives in west suburban Franklin Park. Neighbors there said his family members are good people.
When CBS News Chicago went to Rodriguez's mother's Franklin Park home, a sign was posted outside asking for privacy and saying the family didn't have any comment.
The Chicago Police Department has directed all questions about the shooting to police in Washington, D.C.
The American Osteopathic Association released a statement identifying the suspect as one of their employees, and writing in part, "We were shocked and saddened to learn that an AOIA employee has been arrested as a suspect in this horrific crime. Both the AOIA and AOA stand ready to cooperate with the investigation in any way we can. As a physician organization dedicated to protecting the health and sanctity of human life, we believe in the rights of all persons to live safely without fear of violence."
Chicago Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th), who is the only Jewish member of the Chicago City Council, said she has spoken with Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and police commanders, who said there is no known threat to the city's Jewish community but, out of an abundance of caution, will increase patrols and put extra attention on the community in the wake of the murders.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who is Jewish, said he is "horrified" by the shooting, and said a member of his own team was at the event at the time.
Pritzker said that staff member was not hurt but was shaken up. He said he and his wife, Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker, were praying for the victims, their families, and everyone else affected by the shooting.
"Make no mistake," he wrote in his statement, "this was an attack on the Jewish community."
