The details surrounding the tragic mob killing of 22-year-old Bakari Henderson last week while traveling in Greece are beginning to fall into place as new surveillance footage of the incident was recently released.
Here are seven things we know:
He Was Working On A Clothing Line
Henderson was on the Greek island of Zakynthos at the coastal resort of Laganas after just having graduated from the University of Arizona this past May with a degree in business finance and entrepreneurship. He was planning a photoshoot that would launch his new clothing line, according to his family.
Two Different Accounts
The fight that led to his death broke out around 3 a.m. local time in a bar — during a night devoted to Serbians.
Witnesses told the police that Henderson angered a bouncer when he and his friends tried to take a selfie with a waitress. The confrontation quickly escalated into a fistfight involving other customers and two bar employees, Greek police spokesman Theodore Chronopoulos told The Washington Post.
Henderson’s friends, however, dispute that account to ABC News, saying that the suspects appeared to be “looking for a fight” and punched Henderson first.
Surveillance Video
Henderson tried to run away from the mob during the brawl, but he was body slammed into a car before being kicked and beaten to death, surveillance video shows. A 15-minute surveillance video posted on YouTube shows the whole incident, which took about 15 seconds, including someone trying perform CPR on Henderson.
Fatal Head Injuries
The coroner’s report says that all the strikes Henderson suffered were to the head. He did not appear to have defensive wounds. He was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
The Suspects
At least nine people have been arrested in connection with the killing, according to local police who used the video surveillance to identify the men. They include a British citizen of Serbian origin, a Greek national and seven Serbian tourists. Eight plead not guilty in court Saturday.
Racism Was Not A Motive
The police have reportedly ruled out racism or nationalism as a motive for the attack, the BBC also reports.
His Family Is Devastated
“Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, travelling and meeting new people,” a family statement said, adding that they were “devastated” by his death. They are working with the State Department to recover Henderson’s body “He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures. Bakari was an inspiration to all he met.”
His family has created a GoFundMe page which has already collected over $60,000 of the $80,000 goal.
We will keep you updated as the story unfolds.