SUSPECT’S BACKGROUND
Rodriguez was as soon as concerned with a far-left group in Chicago, the Celebration for Socialism and Liberation, in response to a submit from the group on X. The group stated Rodriguez had a short affiliation with a PSL department that resulted in 2017 and was unaware of any additional contact with him in additional than seven years.
“We have now nothing to do with this capturing and don’t help it,” the organisation stated.
Rodriguez was additionally recognized in a 2018 native information report as a member of the Chicago department of a nationwide group known as ANSWER, an acronym for Act Now to Cease Battle and Finish Racism, which has organised demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinians. ANSWER didn’t instantly reply to e mail and telephone messages.
On the time of his arrest, Rodriguez labored on the healthcare nonprofit American Osteopathic Info Affiliation, the organisation confirmed in an announcement expressing sympathy for the victims.
He had additionally labored as an oral historical past researcher at The HistoryMakers, a nonprofit devoted to preserving African American tales, in response to a now-deleted biography on the group’s web site, and was a content material author for know-how corporations.
Rodriguez was born and reared in Chicago and graduated from the College of Illinois Chicago in 2018 with a bachelor’s diploma in English.
In accordance with the FBI affidavit, the suspect flew to the Washington space from Chicago on Tuesday. On Wednesday night time, he was seen pacing outdoors the museum, little greater than 2km from the White Home, shortly earlier than the capturing, police stated.
Surveillance video footage confirmed Rodriguez firing a number of instances at Lischinsky and Milgrim, then leaning over them to fireplace a number of extra rounds after they fell to the bottom and after Milgrim tried to crawl away and sat up, in response to an FBI affidavit within the felony grievance. The gunman paused to reload, then resumed firing, it stated.
He then tossed away his gun, retreated into the museum and was arrested there after calling consideration to himself because the suspect, pulling out a crimson Palestinian-style keffiyeh scarf and declaring that he “did it”, the affidavit stated.
Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun that he had bought in Illinois 5 years in the past, 21 spent shell casings and a firearm journal on the scene, in response to the grievance.
