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Katie Kalisher was at an event inside Washington, D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum late Wednesday when a series of gunshots rang out, killing two Israeli diplomats in what appears to be a targeted act of antisemitic violence.
As the scene unfolded, Kalisher captured video of 30-year-old suspect Elias Rodriguez being taken into custody by police as he shouted "Free Palestine!" – but not before she had a chilling run-in with him herself.
"There was a man who came in, and he was like saying, 'Call the police, and he's covered in rain, and he looks very distressed, so we're trying to offer him some help, and even one of my friends asked him, ‘Are you okay? Can I get you some water?’ And he's like, 'Yeah, actually, that'd be great,'" she recalled Thursday on "Fox & Friends."
TWO ISRAELI DIPLOMATS SHOT, KILLED DURING EVENT AT CAPITAL JEWISH MUSEUM IN WASHINGTON, DC
Suspect Elias Rodriguez (left) and witness Katie Kalisher (right) (Instagram/@Shinewithisrael (left) & Fox & Friends (right))
Continuing the conversation, Kalisher said she asked the man if he liked the museum, which prompted him to "play dumb" with her and ask what type of museum they were in.
"[I told him] it's a Jewish museum, and he asks, 'Do you think that's why they did it?', in reference to the gunshots we had heard? And I was like, 'Yeah, maybe, I don't know, but I don't think so. I hope not.' That's when he reaches into his bag and pulls out a keffiyeh and says to me, ‘I did it, I did this for Gaza.’ And then he starts shouting, ‘Free, free Palestine!’ And the police show up and arrest him."
Kalisher said guards allowed the suspect to enter not realizing who he was, explaining that the decision likely came from a "place of humanity" and to "keep him safe" from gunshots.
She and a group of others were inside a room with the suspect for approximately 10 minutes, she recalled, though she remains unsure whether Rodriguez still had the murder weapon in his possession at the time.
FATAL SHOOTING OF ISRAELI EMBASSY WORKERS IN DC SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM TRUMP, ISRAELI PRESIDENT
A man looks on next to police officers working at the site where, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 21, 2025. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Rodriguez was allegedly observed pacing back and forth outside the museum before he approached a group of four people exiting the building, including the two victims, and began shooting, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith shared during a news conference after the incident.
The Embassy of Israel to the U.S. identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were set to be engaged.
Kalisher said Rodriguez looked very "scared" when he approached her, leading her to believe he was shaken after witnessing the murder, but she never thought he could have been the one responsible for the crime.
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At the same time, she sounded the alarm over the "out-of-control" antisemitism plaguing the U.S., explaining that she has been subjected to such hate as a Jewish person herself.
"This is just not the first time and I don't think it's going to be the last time that I'm going to witness an antisemitic attack," she said.
Now realizing she stood directly in front of the suspected killer, Kalisher is well aware she could have been next.
"I feel very lucky to be alive… I feel extremely sad for the victims [and] their families. It could have been me."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
