Details Emerge About Scott Hayes and Caleb Gannon, Individuals Involved in Newton Shooting

After shouting at pro-Israel protestors from across the street, Newton resident Caleb Gannon charged at and tackled a demonstrator at a rally held in Newton on Thursday.

A physical altercation between the two ensued, involving several other pro-Israel protestors. A gun went off, striking Gannon, 31. His alleged shooter, Scott Hayes, is pleading not guilty to both assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Both of these individuals were vocal about the Israel-Hamas war on social media in the months leading up to the altercation in Newtonville.

Here are Hayes and Gannon in their own words.

Scott Hayes

Hayes has documented his presence at multiple pro-Israel demonstrations with videos, photos, and posts on X.

Hayes is not Jewish, according to a GoFundMe established to support him, but has often expressed support for Israel and opposition to anti-Semitism through his posts.

His first X post was in December 2023, when he wrote, “If Hamas laid down their weapons there would be peace. If Israel laid down their weapons there would dead Jews [sic]. Eradicate Hamas.”

Since then, he has regularly posted about the conflict, often sharing images and videos criticizing pro-Palestine protestors.

In one post, he refers to four pro-Palestine protestors as “terrorist lovers,” posting clear images of their faces.

“It’s a shame not a single one of them care about the Americans held hostage or killed,” Hayes wrote.

In another post, he shared screenshots of a pro-Palestine protestor’s Instagram and called her a “buffet going huffalump.”

In another post from May 19, Hayes displays a gun with a Star of David keychain, writing, “Hey Jew haters. Bring it.”

Hayes has also posted on X from 20 unique pro-Israel protests or counterprotests across Massachusetts and one at Brown University in Rhode Island since May of this year: 

1. May 4, Brookline, Mass.
2. May 9, Newton, Mass. 
3. May 11, Maynard, Mass.
4. May 23, Newton, Mass. 
5. May 25, Maynard, Mass. 
6. May 26, Providence, R.I. (Brown)
7. May 30, Brookline, Mass.
8. June 2, Brookline, Mass. 
9. June 6, Maynard, Mass.
10. June 15, Boston, Mass.
11. June 27, Somerville, Mass. 
12. June 28, Weston, Mass.
13. June 29, Salem, Mass.
14. June 30, Salem, Mass.
15. July 13, Quincy, Mass.
16. July 20, Plymouth, Mass.
17. Aug. 17, Lexington, Mass.
18. Aug. 23, Lexington, Mass.
19. Aug. 24, Cambridge, Mass.
20. Aug. 26, Beverly, Mass.
21. Sept. 9, Quincy, Mass. 

Caleb Gannon

Gannon’s account on X is suspended for violating the platform’s rules. It is unclear when or why the suspension was imposed, and limited information remains on his history on the platform.

Gannon has documented support for Palestine on his Instagram page, however, posting photos of Palestinian-flag stickers around Newton.

Gannon’s bio reads, “Who wants to start a multinational coalition to dismantle the ideas of nations and states we have now, and to building something better?”

Gannon has also been critical of the United States’ actions during the Israel-Hamas war. One post shows Gannon playing the guitar and singing about his disdain for the United States. 

“I don’t wanna be American no more / I don’t wanna give my vote to no one,” he sings.

In an Instagram story post, he called for the dismantling of the United States over a screenshot of an X post reporting the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s veto of a ceasefire proposal in February.

“For the safety of the world, the US must be urgently dismantled,” he wrote.

In a different Instagram story post, Gannon wrote about the need to get rid of “the blight of empires.”

“I urge you, every day, to do something to destabilize this empire,” he wrote. “Through our collective effort, we can bring it down.”