Ventura County Sheriff’s Office – COOSS: 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 is investigating the incident and has not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.
Incident Details:
On November 5, 2023, at approximately 3:20 PM, multiple citizens called the Ventura County Sheriff’s Communication Center to report a battery had occurred at the intersection of Westlake Boulevard and Thousand Oaks Boulevard in the City of Thousand Oaks.
The intersection was the location of a Pro-Israeli / Pro-Palestinian demonstration. Upon arrival, responding deputies located Kessler, who was suffering from a head injury.
Witness accounts indicated that Kessler was involved in a physical altercation with counter-protestor (s). During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground. Kessler was transported to an area hospital for advanced medical treatment.
On November 6, 2023, Kessler succumbed to his injuries. An autopsy was performed on November 6th and the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt force head injury and the manner of death homicide.
This is an active and ongoing investigation, and the incident appears to be isolated and not part of a large effort.
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