Jewish man dies after altercation at dueling Israel-Hamas war protests in California

A Jewish man died on Monday from a head injury he suffered in an altercation over the weekend in southern California during what law enforcement described as dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

Witnesses at the scene told deputies Paul Kessler, 69, got into a “physical altercation” with one or more counter protesters and “fell backwards and struck his head on the ground,” according to Ventura County Sheriff’s Detective Michael Marco. The sheriff’s office will hold a news conference about the incident and investigation Tuesday at 10 a.m. PT.

The incident in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles, was reported by witnesses as a battery around 3:20 p.m. on Sunday, Marco wrote in a news release. Kessler was taken from the scene and rushed to a nearby hospital.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy the same day and determined Kessler’s cause of death to be blunt force head injuries and the manner of death to be homicide, Marco said.

As of Tuesday no arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing and “appears to be isolated and not part of a large effort,” said Marco. The sheriff’s office has also not “ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.”

Protests have erupted across the globe since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out last month. Hamas has been condemned for the militant’s bloody incursion into Israel on Oct. 7 in which 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed and over 200 people were kidnapped. The Israeli government and military has been heavily criticized for its bombing campaign. Over 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas.

‘We were in shock’

Lu Johnson told The Ventura County Star, part of the USA TODAY Network, that he saw the protesters around 3 p.m. while he and his son were on their way to buy bubble tea drinks.

On their first pass, Johnson said they saw a man standing by himself on the corner near a Shell gas station holding an Israeli flag. On two other corners they saw demonstrators waving flags and signs in support of Palestine. After getting their beverages, Johnson and his son drove past the intersection and saw Kessler on the ground.

“We were shock. We saw that man on his back bleeding,” Johnson said.

They parked in a nearby shopping center and watched as emergency responders arrived and deputies appeared to be interviewing witnesses.

Local faith and community leaders react

Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha in Westlake Village, near Thousand Oaks, identified Kessler as Jewish and urged people not to jump to conclusions about his death.

“Please let (law enforcement) do their jobs,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter. “As of right now, there are multiple conflicting witness reports, and no video of what happened before Paul hit the ground. These are good men, and please have faith they will see justice.”

He said law enforcement was being cautious before “making accusations,” adding: “We need to do the same; and not let this become a spark that starts an inferno.”

Omar Ricci, spokesman for the Islamic Center of California in Los Angeles, told the Ventura County Star he didn’t know about Kessler’s death but said he condemned any acts of violence.

“There should be no room for any violence here on the home front,” he said. “We can’t allow that to spill over.”

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement, “We are deeply saddened by this tragic and shocking loss.”

Ayloush also urged people to avoid “jumping to conclusions,” but extended his caution to prevent people from “sensationalizing such a tragedy for political gains, or spreading rumors that could unnecessarily escalate tensions that are already at an all-time high.”

“We urge everyone to wait for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office to complete its investigation before drawing any conclusions,” Ayloush said. “Our thoughts are with the family and the Jewish community during this difficult time.”

Contributing: The Ventura County star; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jewish man dies after altercation at Israel-Hamas war protests