A Jewish man who died after he either was knocked down or fell after a tussle with a Pro-Hamas protester had marks on his face, supporting the idea that he was hit in the face with what witnesses believe was a bullhorn or megaphone. The Jewish protester, 69-year-old Paul Kessler, died hours after he fell and hit the back of his head on a sidewalk at a busy Ventura County intersection, where competing protests were held on Sunday afternoon. While the sheriff wouldn't identify the suspect, internet sleuths have identified a local college professor who witnesses believe is the person who got into the tussle with Kessler. As if this scenario isn't bad enough, a video from the scene shows things got even uglier.
Here's what Kessler was doing on Sunday. He was passionately waving his Israel flag.
BREAKING: This is the last photo of Paul Kessler taken just 5 minutes before he was attacked by an anti-Israel protester yesterday afternoon. I received photos and videos from a source at the scene. pic.twitter.com/QBbLIO0lBM
— Christina Buttons (@buttonslives) November 7, 2023
Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff held a news conference on Tuesday to provide more details on the incident, which is technically a homicide in the state of California. Fryhoff and the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on Kessler said that the 69-year-old man had marks on his face believed to be consistent with the megaphone. They said that deputies were able to see and talk to Kessler before he passed away. Fryhoff wouldn't divulge what, if anything, the victim may have said. Their investigation continues. Stories from those at the protest conflicted with one another.
Ventura County deputies and Thousand Oaks police drove by the protest and it looked peaceful, the sheriff said.
Related: Jewish Man Killed at Pro-Hamas Protest in California
Fryhoff said that on Monday afternoon, they stopped the suspect near his home in Moorpark. While they were serving that warrant, investigators also searched his home, for which the sheriff said they also had a warrant. No arrests have been made.
The man believed to be the suspect has been identified on the internet. The possible suspect is a college professor and ardent Muslim,who posted a pro-Hamas video in the days after the October 7 attack on Israeli civilians.
Here's a video of a deputy questioning him after Kessler was taken away in an ambulance. Notice how he appears to recreate what he did with his bullhorn (to his left) to Kessler in an attempt to stop him from using his phone, which Kessler been using to take video, according to witnesses.
Palestinian supporter who struck #PaulKessler told officer he was trying to hit Paul Kessler’s phone and demonstrated using his left arm. pic.twitter.com/agnAJBgW2a
— pro dreamer (@prodreamer1) November 7, 2023
All of this is abhorrent, of course. But in my opinion, things got one order of magnitude worse when Kessler was placed in the ambulance and taken to a hospital, where he died of his head injury.
This video shows that after the bloody assault, the protest didn't end. The pro-Hamas protesters kept chanting with bullhorns, and then they mocked Kessler's blood on the sidewalk.
Watch it yourself.
Paul Kessler, 69, is named as the elderly Jewish man who was killed after allegedly being assaulted to the ground by a pro-Palestine protester in Ventura County, Calif. After he was removed from the ground, you can see the pool of blood: pic.twitter.com/D7lLy4dFKw
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) November 7, 2023
"This is the kind of respect these Palestinian protesters are giving," said the disgusted person taking the video.
A pro-Hamas protester who seemed to come to Kessler's aid placed a sign underneath his head. Afterwards she was seen laughing while looking towards the bloody sign.
An anti-Israel protester appears to show concern for Paul Kessler by placing a sign she was carrying (which says she’s a pediatrician) under his bleeding head. However, minutes later, she can be seen and heard smiling and laughing in a video taken by a source at the scene. pic.twitter.com/y0fjYOsBMD
— Christina Buttons (@buttonslives) November 7, 2023
Absolutely monstrous.
The sheriff's office is still trying to determine whether this was a hate crime.
PJ Media will keep you posted.
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