This is a developing story.
(JTA) — A Jewish man has died after a pro-Palestinian protester struck him in the head with a megaphone on Sunday, according to the local Jewish federation.
The altercation occurred at a pro-Palestinian protest on Sunday that assembles weekly in Westlake Village in the Los Angeles area. According to a statement by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and a police report, the man, Paul Kessler, 69, was struck in the head with a megaphone held by one of the protesters and died of his wounds on Monday.
A statement Monday night from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office ruled the death a homicide and confirmed many of the details in the federation’s statement. The police statement said Kessler “died as a result of injuries sustained during an altercation at a Pro-Israeli/Pro-Palestinian event, both of which were occurring simultaneously.” Elsewhere, the Sheriff’s Office describes Kessler as a “pro-Israeli protester.”
“Witness accounts indicated that Kessler was involved in a physical altercation with counter-protestor(s),” the statement said. “During the altercation, Kessler fell backwards and struck his head on the ground.”
A brief video circulating on social media shows an elderly