>> sandra: any moment we are expecting an update over the death of paul kessler, 69-year-old jewish man who died after he was involved in a physical confrontation with at least one pro palestinian protestor. sandra smith in new york. >> john: john roberts in washington. the shocking incident outside of los angeles, duelling protests over the israel-hamas war. paramedics attending to kessler after he fell backwards from the altercation and struck his head on the grounds. kessler was rushed to the hospital where he died a day later. >> sandra: and the news conference is underway now, dip in and get the news. >> integrity of that investigation, i want y'all to know we sincerely value your role in delivering messages to our community. in today's case, not only speaking of the community here in ventura county but the world. investigative unit and the public information officer team. to members of the public at the event, if you have videos or photos of the incident, we encourage you to provide those to our office. you can remain anonymous if you choose to. we have established user friendly links to up load the footage. with that being said, i will introduce you to the sheriff of ventura county, jim fryhof. >> good morning. everyone, thank you for being here. this morning as the sheriff of ventura county, a heavy heart i stand before you here today to address this tragic incident that has occurred in our community. i want to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim who lost his life in this unfortunate event. our thoughts and prayers are with them during this very difficult time. as law enforcement officers, our primary duty is to protect and serve the community. we take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to investigating this matter to the fullest and finding out what exactly occurred, we are working tirelessly to gather all the facts and evidence related to this incident and do everything in our power using every resource at our disposal to make sense of this incident. if criminal wrongdoing is discovered to bring the person or persons responsible to justice. i would like to thank the members of the media for being here today. your role in keeping the community informed is critical. we appreciate your cooperation and support during this difficult time. we will do our best to provide you with an accurate and timely information and updates as they become available. i will now tell you what we know and keep in mind this investigation is ongoing and fluid. so i will refrain from providing conjecture, i will state the facts as we know them, at this point in time. on november 5, 2023, approximately 3:20 in the evening, the sheriff's communication center received multiple calls regarding a possible assault and an unconscious male bleeding at the intersection of thousand oaks boulevard and west lake boulevard in the city of thousand oaks. callers advised it was related to a rally or demonstration occurring at the location. fliers distributed on social media indicated a demonstration for freedom for palestine protest and counter protest was led by we are pro israel. estimated 75 to 100 people at the demonstration between both groups. three patrol deputies were dispatched code 3, with lights and siren. to the scene along with medical personnel and paramedics and american medical response. soon after, two patrol sergeant, along with two additional deputies responded to the scene. at 3:22 p.m., 1 of our patrol sergeants arrived on scene. at 3:24 p.m., 2 additional patrol deputies arrived on scene. the sergeant contacted the victim, 69-year-old paul kessler, thousand oaks resident, lying on the ground. he was conscious and responsive. the sergeant observed what he saw was bleeding from the head and mouth. medical personnel from the ventura county fire department arrived and began providing aid to mr. kessler. he was then transported to a local hospital for advanced medical treatment. mr. kessler remained conscious while being transported to the hospital. suspect was identified, willingly remained at the scene and interviewed by deputies. he was cooperative and indicated he was involved in an altercation with mr. kessler. further stated he was one of the reporting parties who called 911 requesting medical attention for mr. kessler. several witnesses were contacted at the northwest corner with the shell gas station was located. conflicting statements about the altercation and who the aggressor was. some were pro palestine and others pro israel. deputies determined mr. kessler fell backward and struck his head on the ground. what exactly transpired prior to mr. kessler falling backward is not crystal clear right now. at 4:02:00 p.m., deputy and sergeant arrived at the hospital where mr. kessler was being treated. soon after the deputies cleared the scene. mr. kessler was listed as being in critical condition by the hospital staff. how, he was still conscious when contacted by deputies at the hospital. at 5:32 p.m., cleared the call and documented incident pending follow-up investigation by detectives from the thousand oaks police department. on november 6th, approximately 2:43 a.m., received a call. 2:53, patrol deputy and sergeant arrived at the hospital and were told mr. kessler succumbed to his injuries. 3:00 a.m., investigators from the major crimes bureau were notified of the circumstances surrounding mr. kessler's death, and they immediately launched an investigation. the ventura county medical examiner's office was also notified and sent an investigator to the hospital. his body was later transported to the medical examiner's office where a subsequent autopsy was performed. i will defer any comments regarding the results to chief medical examiner, dr. young, who will provide a statement shortly. yesterday afternoon detectives obtained a search warrant for the suspect and the suspect's residence. at 4:58 p.m., detectives conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle driven by the suspect in simi valley. and released at 6:00 p.m.. and search warrant, i cannot comment on the results of the search warrant as the investigation is ongoing. investigators have not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime, and this is being investigated as a homicide. investigators from the sheriff's major crime bureau and the thousand oak investigation bureau are committed to continuing to locate and interview witnesses to the event or individuals who were present or nearby that might have helpful information to provide. it is our understanding mr. kessler, a u.s. citizen who practices the jewish faith was supporting israel. the suspect, 50-year-old resides in moore park, at the intersection advocating for palestine. we understand the war in israel and gaza has led to an increase in hateful and threatening rhetoric, and we want to assure the muslim and jewish communities that we stand with them both during this difficult time, ventura county sheriff's office is committed to protecting the rights and safety of all members of the community regardsless of their race, religion or ethnicity. to this end, we have increased patrols around mosques and our muslim community centers and jewish houses of worship. we also work closely with the religious leaders to provide support and assistance as needed. ventura county sheriff's office and law enforcement in general play a critical role in preserving people's fundamental right to peaceably assemble and safety and security. requesting assistance from public regarding the ongoing investigation. anyone witnessed or knowledge or present at the demonstration is encouraged to contact our agency. we have provided the media with the investigative unit and the team. those who want to remain anonymous can do so by crime stops, 1-800-222 tips, video possession or photographs can also remain anonymous by using the link we provided to the media today. during this time we urge you to remain calm, peaceful, and patient. we understand that you may have questions and concerns but we ask you allow us to conduct our investigation and we will provide updates as soon as we can. we also ask you refrain from spreading rumors or misinformation on social media. or other platforms. as that cannot only hinder the investigation but cause unnecessary panic in the community. in conclusion, reiterate that safety and well-being are the utmost concern to us. we will work tirelessly to ensure that everyone, no matter your faith or religion, feels safe. we appreciate your cooperation and support during this difficult time and now i would like to introduce the chief medical examiner of ventura county, dr. christopher young. >> good morning, dr. young, chief medical examer for ventura county. death investigation is also ongoing. the death of this 69-year-old, paul kessler, was admit to las robles at 15:53 hours. diagnostic studies included a ct scan, demonstrated intercranial injuries, which included swelling of the brain and hemorrhage surrounding the brain. mr. kessler's condition continued to deteriorate and death was pronounced on november 6th at 1:t10 a.m.. autopsy, nonlethal injuries to the left side of mr. kessler's face. additional injuries, injury to the back of the head. these injuries are consistent with and typical of injuries sustained from a fall. internal injuries also were consistent with a fall, which included skull fractures, swelling of the brain, and bruising to the brain. the cause of death has been certified as blunt force head trauma. the manner of death is homicide. the manner of death is a medical/legal determination. manner of death of homicide does not indicate that a crime has been committed. this is a determination that's made by the district attorney's office. when a manner of death of homicide is made, it's simply stating the death occurred at the hands of another person, or the actions of another person contributed to the death of a person. our hearts and our thoughts are with every individual affected by this tragic event. thank you. >> now at this time we will entertain questions, understanding i'm very limited on what i can discuss based on the investigation itself. >> [indiscernible] >> so, the suspect has not been arrested. no arrests have been made related to this incident and the suspect has not been identified publicly. >> [indiscernible] >> i can tell you the information we are getting is conflicting with one another. there was clearly an interaction between the two but what that level of interaction is is still unclear. that's why we are asking for any video footage that we can have, the one camera angle i think you have all seen that's from the shell station is unfortunately blocked by the message board indicating gas prices and so we cannot see that from that angle, so we are hoping somebody has video to shed some light as to what occurred for him falling and hitting his head. we do not have that confirmed, that is something we are trying to investigate that it was a statement that had been made, but we do not have confirmation of that at this time. >> so again, manner of death of homicide does not reflect a crime is committed, but just an interaction with another person. it's not hinging on who is the aggressor, just that another individual was involved in partially causing the death. >> doctor, we are seeing reports -- >> you are saying the injury to the head was nonlethal, or the injury to the face i should say. >> injuries on the left side of the face were nonlethal and the lethal injury was the impact to the back of the head. >> was the victim hit and caused him to fall or hit itself that caused -- >> again, this is still under investigation. but there are injuries on the front of the face which could be consistent with a blow to the face. >> when you talk about a blow, that would cause an individual to fall, contention the suspect hit the victim and caused him to fall? >> we are still waiting to see evidence what occurred and whether or not there was a blow to the face that caused the fall or if mr. kessler fell without that being the precipitating event. >> sheriff, you mentioned increased patrols around houses of worship. [indiscernible] demonstrations regardless of the time? >> we are not changing our protocol. we evaluate every protest on their own merit to determine what we think the threat level is and then based on that threat level we determine what resources, if any, need to be there. it's very clear sometimes when law enforcement does arrive on scene we can be a catalyst for initial aggression, but if there is aggression, we want to make sure people are peacefully protesting. 15 minutes prior to this confrontation, thousand oaks police chief had driven through the area, 30 people present when he left, no indication of impending violence and so no additional resources were needed. our patrol staff had been made aware of this protest and were driving through frequently to just keep an eye on what was happening. this event was not preventable. >> suspect -- cooperative as [indiscernible] >> it's my understanding he answered the questions when he was contacted at the scene. i don't know the vetting of all those questions that he answered. but he at least stayed behind. >> cooperative -- >> to my understanding, cooperative. i'm not at liberty to discuss at this time. >> search warrant at his home. >> thorough investigation. make sure we have all the evidence we need if we are going to prosecute somebody. >> is he a suspect? >> we have identified him as a suspect. as of right now, he's the only one that we have information on that may have been involved in interaction with the victim. that does not mean there are not others. we are waiting for that information to come out from our residents who were there or any other people who were present and if they have video to indicate more than one person involved. >> earlier reports the victim may have recorded on the cell phone -- [indiscernible] >> i don't have that information at this time. [indiscernible] >> my understanding the investigators are working on that and i don't have that information to disclose at this time. >> [indiscernible] >> to be honest, i don't know that information either. i don't know if it was one corner or two corners occupied by one group or if they were all co-mingled the entire time, don't have that information. >> what the corner -- previous rallies or demonstrations there, a little color about what that -- [indiscernible] >> because of the volume of traffic at that intersection, it tends to be a fairly popular intersection to have protests of any number of things. this conflict, there were three prior events at this location in thousand oak, two at the location, this was, this event would have been the third one at that intersection. we have had 21 protests county wide since october 7th. this was the only one so far that has had some type of violent encounter at all. there's no permits required this. is a first amendment protected activity and often times our protestors use the crosswalk to make their voices heard and be seen, and so when you ask about if there is intermingling, they are using the crosswalk to be seen and so that is likely to occur. >> did you uncover a megaphone from the suspect? >> a what? >> megaphone. >> i don't have information on that. >> [indiscernible] >> not at liberty to discuss at this time. >> any other confrontations or disturbances between the two groups beyond the normal yelling against each other? >> i don't have any information about any other conflict, other than one group pro israel and one pro palestine. >> physical confrontations. >> we don't have any indication there is prior physical confrontations between anyone, and as far as both of the organizations having the events out there, publicly stated on social media is to have peaceful protests and not engage in counter protests. >> [indiscernible] >> i don't have information if they met before or knew each other prior. >> any information that the suspect was carrying a megaphone. >> i don't have that information at this time. i've heard that and i think the medical examiner said the injuries on the face could have been caused by a megaphone. but i don't have the information of what he had on him at the time. >> [indiscernible] >> i don't have that information, apologize. >> how much information was the victim able to share with you from the hospital? >> i'm not at liberty to discuss that part of the investigation at this time. >> was he able to walk through what happened? >> i don't have that information. >> two more questions and then wrap. two more questions. >> do you have any information on [indiscernible]>> no, we do not. >> sheriff, you mentioned, you allocated resources based on assessment and threat level. had you made an assessment prior to this and how is that adjusted? >> we reviewed it, everything on social media was this was going to be a peaceful protest, even though we were going to have opposing sides but we had not had any issues previously. no indication this was anything more than that. so our presence was having our patrol officers drive by and monitoring it. and the chief drove by, he was aware of it as well, to make sure it was not turning into something that required more attention. thank you for coming, appreciate you. >> sandra: all right, so we have been watching the news conference there live out of thousand oaks california, they said the suspect has not been arrested yet in the death of paul kessler. the suspect is also not publicly named. we learned a whole lot more about the situation, though, still asking for video from anybody who saw this happen. paul mauro will be on set listening to this, retired nypd inspector and thank you for hanging out with us. what he is your biggest take away from what you heard from authorities? >> a crime occurred. m.e. decision of homicide means somebody else caused it. that's generally the rule coast to coast. but we don't know, obviously there's a suspect, but the idea that what we don't have enough to charge him doesn't mean something didn't happen. mr. kessler is dead at a rally that obviously was supposed to be nonviolent. some reporting he got hit with a megaphone. a crime occurred and it's going to come down to whether or not they have probable cause and the person of interest they did a couple of search warrants, likely don't have all the information back from those search warrants, one was on his phone, very technical, digital forensics. they are going to dig into all of that. the holy grail is video. obviously they are asking the public for video, etc. the p ub has become conditioned we see video of these events whether they happen in public. it does not mean it's always going to be there, and that takes us back to 30 years before everybody had phones, 20 years ago, and what used to happen, can you get probable cause by other means, witnesses, etc.>> they have not ruled a hate crime, they have investigated it's a homicide. and why there wasn't a company on the scene but a permit was not required, they clarified for this. we will dig into this more, but john, i know you've got the governor standing by. >> john: texas governor greg abbott, just returned from a wartime visit to israel. i wanted to talk more with you about the threat that people in this country are facing as a result of what's going on in the middle east, which really has been embodied by the arrest of a 20-year-old jordanian palestinian there in texas. he had been in the country illegally. he, according to the u.s. attorney's office for the attorney district of texas was illegally in possession of a firearm and according to a press release on the indictment he has allegedly been in direct contact with others who share radical mindset. charges against him allege he's been conducting further training and trained with weapons to possibly com