A 69-year-old Jewish man died Monday after suffering a head injury at a Thousand Oaks protest centered on the Israel-Hamas war, according to law enforcement.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office said an autopsy determined Paul Kessler died as a result of a blunt force head injury and called the manner of death a homicide.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said the incident was reported just after 3:20 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, near the L.A. County border. Opposing protesters — pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian — had taken a stand on either side of the intersection when an altercation occurred, authorities said.
Kessler, of Thousand Oaks, was struck in the head, knocked backward and hit his head on the ground, deputies said.
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Paramedics responded to a “fight in progress” and found the victim suffering a head injury, according to Andy VanSciver, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. Kessler was transported to a local hospital, where he died Monday.
No arrests had been made as of Monday night, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with details for authorities can contact Det. Corey Stump at (805) 384-4745.
Officials did not release further details about how Kessler was struck or whether there were any suspects in the case. The agency said it had not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
A video of the aftermath shared on social media showed Kessler lying on his back on the corner of the intersection with blood dripping from his head.
Rabbi Michael Barclay, who leads Temple Ner Simcha, said Kessler and his wife, Cheryl, had attended High Holiday services at his synagogue, though they had not visited in several years. The synagogue is less than a mile away from where the protests were held.
Barclay said he did not know Kessler well but had exchanged email correspondence with him over the years and called him “a man committed to peace and committed to Israel.”
