An elderly Jewish man was injured and later died after a confrontation with a pro-Palestinian protester during a gathering where pro-Israel protesters and pro-Palestinian protesters faced off on opposites sides of the street in the Southern California neighborhood of Westlake Village this Monday, CBS News reported.
Paul Kessler, 69, was taken to the hospital after the incident and died a day later. The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office classified his death as a homicide.
According to witnesses, Kessler got into a "physical altercation" with a pro-Palestinian protester and fell backwards and hit his head. According to some reports, the protester allegedly struck Kessler in the head with a bullhorn before he fell to the ground.
"The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
“The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident and has not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime,” the statement added.
Investigators are still looking for the protester who was involved in the altercation and are asking the public for assistance.
