US: 69-year-old Jewish man dies after altercation with Palestine supporters in California

The deceased person was identified as 69-year-old Paul Kessler.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post: "On November 5, 2023, at approximately 3:20 PM, multiple citizens called the Ventura County Sheriff’s Communication Center to report a battery had occurred at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard in the City of Thousand Oaks. The intersection was the location of a Pro-Israeli / Pro-Palestinian demonstration."

"Upon arrival, responding deputies located Kessler, who was suffering from a head injury.  Witness accounts indicated that Kessler was involved in a physical altercation with counter-protestor(s).  During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground. Kessler was transported to an area hospital for advanced medical treatment. On November 6, 2023, Kessler succumbed to his injuries," read the statement.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office further said an autopsy was performed on November 6th and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide.

"This is an active and ongoing investigation, and the incident appears to be isolated and not part of a large effort," read the statement.

So far, no arrest has been made.

Reacting to the incident, Rabbi Michael Barclay, who leads Temple Ner Simcha, posted on X: " Law enforcement has identified a suspect who was in an altercation with Paul Kessler immediately prior to his death. They are attempting to identify exactly what happened, as there is no video yet of the altercation. Witnesses range from it was verbal to him hitting Paul."

Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell, whose district covers the location where the incident took place, said he as heartbroken by the incident.

"I’m heartbroken to hear of the tragic death of an elderly man today after having been struck at a protest in my district.  My prayers are with this man's family and friends.  Our whole community grieves at this senseless loss of life. I call for peace in our community," he said.

He said the investigation into the incident will be fair and thorough.

"I immediately reached out to local leaders at the Islamic Center of Conejo Valley & to our local Rabbis. I called for peace in our community.  Hate and violence are never the answer. We must have faith in the process.  There is an investigation. It will be fair and thorough," he wrote on X.