Paul Kessler, 69, of Thousand Oaks, died as a result of injuries
sustained during an altercation at simultaneously held pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian rallies last Sunday at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, which was handling the investigation.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass added her voice today to the outrage being expressed over the death of a Jewish man, who was allegedly struck during dueling demonstrations in Ventura County over the Israel-Hamas war, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head on the sidewalk.
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff told reporters Tuesday that investigators have "not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime and this is being investigated as a homicide.''
A 50-year-old Moorpark man, whose name was not released, has been identified as a suspect and has been interviewed but not arrested, Fryhoff said. The sheriff confirmed that Kessler was attending the pro-Israel rally, while the suspect was attending the pro-Palestine rally.
Fryhoff said witnesses were interviewed at the scene, but provided conflicting accounts about who the aggressor was in the encounter.