Who Killed Paul Kessler? Suspect Identified in Jewish Man's Death at Rally

Police in California announced on Tuesday that they had identified a suspect in the death of Paul Kessler, a Jewish man who died following an injury sustained during a clash between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters on Sunday.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said that a suspect had been identified in Kessler's death, noting that the individual was 50 years of age and a resident of Moorpark. Fryhoff also said that Kessler was at the rally supporting Israel while the suspect was at the rally "advocating for Palestine."

"A 69-year-old man, identified as Paul Kessler, died as a result of injuries sustained during an altercation at a Pro-Israeli / Pro-Palestinian event, both of which were occurring simultaneously at the intersection of Westlake Blvd. and Thousand Oaks Blvd," the Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

"The Ventura County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident and has not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime."

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office told Newsweek on Tuesday morning that the case involving Kessler's death has not yet been submitted to their office by police.

"The Ventura County Sheriff's Office is actively gathering information and working through all aspects of the investigation. Criminal investigations of this nature often take substantial time to complete. Once detectives have finalized their work, they will submit the case to our office," a spokesperson for the district attorney's office told Newsweek.

"At that time, we will begin a thorough process of evaluating the facts and applicable law to determine whether criminal charges will be filed."

While at the rallies, an altercation ensued between Kessler and another individual. When police arrived, they discovered the 69-year-old Jewish man "suffering from a head injury." Police said that during the incident, Kessler fell backward and injured his head.

An autopsy confirmed that Kessler's cause of death was "blunt force head injury," and the manner was ruled as a homicide.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Fryhoff said that a search warrant was executed at the suspect's home this week, but the individual has not yet been arrested. He said that the suspect is currently cooperating with police as they continue their investigation.

"What exactly transpired prior to Mr. Kessler falling backward isn't crystal clear right now," Fryhoff said.

Newsweek reached out to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office for more information via email.

In a series of posts on X, formerly Twitter, Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha, which is located near Thousand Oaks, said, "As the Rabbi in Westlake, I just got off the phone with the Chief of Police. As of 5:42pm, this is the situation: They have conflicting reports of what happened, and they did interview the suspect that is identified in social media at the event. They have no video."

"Please do not make assumptions or accusations until the police can do their job and/or we get real video. ALL postings otherwise are not accurate at this time. It is not being handled by Los Angeles law enforcement; and the police here are clear," Barclay said in another post.

Update 11/07/23, 2:57 p.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information.