Had it not been for a viral video showing a pro-Palestine counterprotester sprinting across the street to tackle a 47-year-old Iraq War vet peacefully participating in a pro-Israel standout, Massachusetts authorities may have never charged 31-year-old Caleb Gannon with assault.
Gannon, the Newton man whose social media presence features impassioned pro-Palestinian and anti-American posts, suffered a gunshot wound after he attacked pro-Israel demonstrators, including Framingham resident Scott Hayes, Thursday evening.
It is still unclear whether Hayes, who is licensed to carry a firearm in Massachusetts, intentionally shot Gannon.
What the video makes clear, however, is that Gannon ran across a busy Newton street and launched himself into Hayes after a verbal exchange with pro-Israel demonstrators.
“You are sick, you are sick,” Gannon, who had been wearing what appeared to be a COVID-19 mask and what observers claim is a pro-Palestinian pin on his shirt, can be heard shouting moments before the alleged assault.
Gannon is then heard yelling, “You are defending genocide,” while an off-camera voice from the pro-Israel group counters, “You are stupid.”
Now X has suspected Gannon’s account, which featured anti-American and pro-Palestinian rhetoric.
On Thursday night, Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan held a press conference and announced that Hayes was scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violating Gannon’s constitutional rights.
Hayes posted $5,000 cash bail. At his arraignment, he was also ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, avoid contact with his alleged assailant (Gannon), submit to an overnight curfew, and avoid entering the city of Newton aside from work-related purposes.
By Friday night, however, Ryan’s office had dropped the constitutional violation charges filed against Hayes, once the video of the incident began appearing in various news reports.
Ryan defended the initial decision not to charge Gannon, citing in her statement that Massachusetts law stipulates “an assault and battery that does not occur in the presence of a police officer is not an arrestable offense.”
Framingham Police have suspended Hayes’s license to carry.
Meanwhile, shortly after officials confirmed Gannon’s identity, reports of documenting his social media history began to surface. Among his shared posts included comments such as “America needs to end,” “I’m so ready for the post-American world,” and personal songs renouncing his American citizenship.
In addition to posts expressing sympathy towards pro-Hamas terrorist forces, Gannon also claims in one of his social media profiles to be diagnosed with autism, which his father has confirmed, according to police records.
Gannon is a Newton North High School graduate. His father reportedly told police his son has been “hyper-focused” on Hamas and the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel has been at war with Hamas dating back to Oct. 7, 2023, when terrorists stormed a music festival in southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 and holding more than 200 hostages.
Gannon is currently recovering from a gunshot wound to his stomach, while Hayes’ attorney has argued that his client acted in self-defense.
Hayes has also been active on social media. A scan of his X account includes posts celebrating the nearby city of Quincy’s defeat of a Gaza ceasefire resolution proposal, one of many that have surfaced in predominantly Democratic-run cities over the course of the past year.
“This is a textbook case of self-defense,” Hayes’s defense attorney, Glenn MacKinlay, told reporters following the arraignment. “We’re confident that the investigation, when it’s completed, will clear Mr. Hayes of all charges.”
