A 69-year-old man died Monday after struggling a head damage at a Thousand Oaks protest centered on the Israel-Hamas conflict, in response to legislation enforcement.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Workplace stated an post-mortem decided Paul Kessler died on account of a blunt pressure head damage and known as the style of dying a murder. Kessler was recognized as Jewish by the Jewish Federation of Better Los Angeles.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Workplace stated the incident was reported simply after 3:20 p.m. Sunday on the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard, close to the L.A. County border. Opposing protesters — pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian — had taken a stand on both facet of the intersection when an altercation occurred, authorities stated.
Kessler, of Thousand Oaks, was struck within the head, knocked backward and hit his head on the bottom, deputies stated.
Paramedics responded to a “battle in progress” and located the sufferer struggling a head damage, in response to Andy VanSciver, a spokesman for the Ventura County Hearth Division. Kessler was transported to a neighborhood hospital, the place he died Monday.
No arrests had been made as of Monday night time, and the investigation stays ongoing. Anybody with particulars for authorities can contact Det. Corey Stump at (805) 384-4745.
Officers didn’t launch additional particulars about how Kessler was struck or whether or not there have been any suspects within the case. The company stated it had not dominated out the potential for a hate crime.
A video of the aftermath shared on social media confirmed Kessler mendacity on his again on the nook of the intersection with blood dripping from his head.
Ventura County Supervisor Jeff Gorell, whose district covers the situation the place the incident passed off, stated he’d been briefed by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Workplace.
“I’m heartbroken to listen to of the tragic dying of an aged man immediately after having been struck at a protest in my district,” Gorell wrote on X, previously generally known as Twitter.
Kessler’s dying has sparked mourning and alarm in Southern California’s Jewish group, with some leaders and public officers expressing outrage.
The Anti-Defamation League known as on legislation enforcement “to launch a radical investigation to find out who’s accountable.”
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Workplace stated a information convention on the incident was scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday.
This can be a growing story.