Investigators in Ventura County, California, are looking into the death of a Jewish man who passed away on Monday after being hurt in an altercation during opposing pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to witnesses, Paul Kessler, 69, “was in a physical dispute with counter-protestor(s),” according to a statement released by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
It stated, “Kessler fell backward and hit his head on the ground during the altercation.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the event took place on Sunday at 3:20 p.m. in Thousand Oaks, a neighborhood in the Los Angeles region that is located just across the Ventura County line.
It said Kessler was sent to a hospital, where he passed away on Monday.
According to the sheriff’s office, “the manner of death was a homicide, and the cause of death was determined to be blunt force head injury by the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office.”
The sheriff’s department said that simultaneous pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations were taking place at Thousand Oaks and Westlake Boulevards.
According to the sheriff’s office, there is an ongoing investigation. It invited anyone with information or who witnessed the demonstrations to get in touch with it.
In a statement, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office stated that it was looking into the event and had not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
The manner in which Kessler was hurt was not further explained by the sheriff’s office.
Kessler was seen on social media prior to the confrontation, waving an Israeli flag at a crosswalk.
At 3:20 p.m. (6:20 p.m. ET), a press photographer then took a picture of Kessler receiving medical attention on a sidewalk, his head resting on a homemade sign that was covered in blood. Kessler can be seen lying on the sidewalk with blood all over his head in another video that has been uploaded online.
After Kessler was hurt, pro-Palestinian protestors appear to have continued to chant slogans and wave flags while police cars and an ambulance were parked nearby. In the same video, blood is seen all over a homemade placard that reads, “STOP BOMBING BABIES AND FAMILIES.”
Patience was advised by Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha, which is close to the scene of the crime.
“Until the police can do their job and/or we get real video, please do not make assumptions or accusations,” Barclay posted on X.
Kessler was classified as Jewish by Barclay. Kessler’s family requested privacy and declined to respond on Monday night.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) expressed its “deep sadness over this tragic and shocking loss” but advised against politicizing the event. It is located in the Los Angeles area.
“We join local Jewish leaders in urging on all individuals to stay away from jumping to conclusions, sensationalizing the event for political gains, or propagating rumors that could needlessly escalate tensions that are currently at an all-time high,” CAIR stated in a statement on Monday.
One month after the Hamas terror attack claimed 1,400 lives in the nation, the tragedy happened at a time when tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict were high both domestically and internationally. Since then, Israel has bombarded the Palestinian enclave in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 10,000 civilians.
Israel’s top politicians promptly denounced the act.
“The assassination of Jewish-American Paul Kessler ought to be a severe cautionary tale to the entire globe,” stated Benny Gantz, the head of the opposition who entered the war cabinet following Hamas’ October 7 assault.
“In a post on X, he stated that Israel is leading the global effort to combat the murderous antisemitic ideology that is responsible for the Hamas terror attacks of 7.10.”
Paul Kessler was slain in Los Angeles because he was a Jew, according to a post made on X by Yair Lapid, another prominent figure in the Israeli opposition. Antisemitism is the root of the problem, not Gaza.
This is what occurs when demonstrators demand to “globalize the intifada” and exalt Hamas. They detest Jews, not Palestinians,” he remarked.
Jim Fryhoff, the sheriff of Ventura County, is scheduled to speak at a press conference on Tuesday morning.
The sheriff’s office said on Monday night that no one has been taken into custody.