California Police Arrest Man on Suspicion of Killing a Jewish Man

California police arrested a suspect in the murder of a Jewish man who fell during a street protest between supporters of Israel and Palestinian supporters in early November. Paul Kessler, 69, died from a severe head injury one day after he fell during the November 5 protest in Thousand Oaks, about 55 kilometers west of Los Angeles. According to the state's coroner, his death was ruled a homicide. County police officials arrested 50-year-old Louis Alnaji on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter at his home on Thursday. The district attorney's office stated that they have received the police investigation regarding Kessler's death and a decision is expected on Thursday regarding Alnaji's charges as homicide. According to Reuters, it was unclear at the time of this report whether he had legal representation. Last week, the Ventura County police chief stated that Alnaji, who was a suspect at the time but whose name had not been publicly released, called emergency services to report Kessler's fall and remained at the scene to answer police questions. He also mentioned that Kessler was conscious when he was taken to the hospital due to his injuries and spoke with police there, but he declined to provide further information. The police chief noted that witnesses provided conflicting accounts of who was the aggressor in the incident. The California coroner's office reported that Kessler had non-fatal injuries on the left side of his face, which could indicate that he was struck before falling, but it is unclear if that actually happened. According to the police chief, about a hundred people participated in each group of Israel supporters and Palestinian supporters during the protest, and no other incidents were reported.