Killing of Paul Kessler

Kessler grew up in the tight-knit Jewish community of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was known as an ardent Democrat who was passionate about progressive causes and Israel. He had worked as a medical sales person, and was married for 43 years with a son. Prior to the protest, Kessler had been previously diagnosed with a brain tumor. ==Incident==

At dueling pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations on the Gaza war in Thousand Oaks on November 5, 2023. About 75 to 100 people were gathered at the intersection for the two protests, which were held by two groups; "Freedom for Palestine" and "We are Pro-Israel." Police patrolling the area reported seeing no indication of violence about fifteen minutes before the altercation reportedly happened. Kessler and a pro-Palestinian supporter had reportedly been involved in an altercation, and Kessler had at some point fallen backwards and hit his head on the ground. According to the lawyer of Loay Alnaji, a 50-year-old male pro-Palestinian supporter, Kessler reportedly got in the face of many of the pro-Palestinian protestors and stuck his phone in Alnaji's face. At around 3:20PM responding deputies and EMS responded to calls and found Kessler on the ground conscious and able to speak. Alnaji stayed at the location until deputies arrived to indicate his involvement and called 911 after he fell. He died early the next day, November 6, at the hospital. == Investigation ==

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office initially stated on November 7 at a news conference that there were conflicting accounts from eyewitnesses about the events leading to Kessler's death, and urged anyone with information to come forward. Sheriff Fryhoff indicated that surveillance footage and other media collected at the scene did not provide a clear view of the encounter and many witnesses disagreed on things such as what caused the fall and who began the confrontation. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death to be homicide, and noted non-lethal facial injuries that could have resulted from being hit. Released findings from Kesslers autopsy showed that he had suffered injuries consistent with a fall, such as skull fractures, brain swelling and bruising along with nonlethal injuries to his face. == Perpetrator ==

On November 16, the Sheriff's Office announced that they had arrested a 50-year-old male suspect, Loay Alnaji, in connection to Kessler's death on the charge of involuntary manslaughter and battery with a $1 million bail. He pled not guilty in Ventura County Superior Court the next day, with bail reduced to , and was ordered to relinquish his U.S. and Jordanian passports. Shortly after his arrest, his biography was removed from the Moorpark College website and the Ventura County Community College District placed him on administrative leave. In June 2024, Alnaji pled not guilty to; 'Involuntary Manslaughter', and 'Battery Causing Serious Bodily Injury', both felonies. On May 5, 2026, one week before his scheduled jury trail, Aljani pled guilty to felony charges of involuntary manslaughter and battery with serious bodily injury. == Aftermath ==

A memorial was set up at the street corner where Kessler was fatally injured. A vigil and then a rally were held there. The family of Kessler announced that there would be a private funeral after realizing the scope of people that may want to attend and asked for privacy. After Kessler's death the Sheriff's Office increased patrols at and around Muslim and Jewish places of worship and community gathering centers. A year after his death in 2024, a crowd gathered to honor Kessler and pay tribute to him. == Reactions ==

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, "We mourn the death of the Jewish man who died after being injured during a protest in Thousand Oaks. As details emerge and are confirmed, we stand resolute in condemnation of violence and antisemitism." The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles called Kessler's death an "antisemitic crime" and stated that violence against the Jewish people had no place and they would not tolerate violence against the community. The Council on American-Islamic Relations denounced the alleged attack and expressed support for the Jewish community. == See also ==