Prince George's Co. Police Boost Presence Outside Synagogues After DC Shootings

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — In light of the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night, the Prince George's County Police Department announced Thursday that it would be increasing its police presence around synagogues within the county.

The police department noted in a Facebook post that it had not received any intelligence indicating that there were any areas of concern, but rather is being proactive.

"We encourage any residents who hear or see anything of concern to immediately contact us," the police department stated. "We offer our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of the two victims."

Patch reported Thursday that the two staff members were planning on getting engaged before a gunman shot and killed them. Officials said Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were gunned down as they left an event at the museum in what both President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an act of antisemitism.

The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was taken into custody shortly after the shooting, authorities said.

In an interview with The New York Times, Milgrim's parents said their daughter planned to travel to Jerusalem with Lischinsky to meet his family for the first time. What they didn’t know, they told the Times, is that he had bought an engagement ring before the trip. When Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, called the Milgrims to tell them about the shooting, he also revealed that Lischinsky had bought the ring this week and planned to propose on their trip.

“The ironic part is that we were worried for our daughter’s safety in Israel,” Robert Milgrim told the Times. “But she was murdered three days before going.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

• Get The Latest Local News (For Free!) With One Quick Tap