CCTV footage shows moment an American college grad, Bakari Henderson, was lynched on Greek party island after running away from mob who kicked and punched him to death for ‘speaking to a Serbian waitress’
‘Could race have been THE factor here?’
CCTV footage obtained by a Greek newspaper shows the moment an American college grad on a Greek party island was left for dead after he was beset by a horde of men
Henderson, 22, a recent grad from University of Arizona, was beaten to death on the island of Zakynthos last week
Bakari Henderson from Austin, Texas is seen running away from mob who kicked and punched him to death for ‘speaking to a Serbian waitress’
CCTV footage from a nearby bar shows the college grad was actually fleeing away from the mob which killed him
He was punched him and kicked repeatedly for 20 seconds until a woman passer-by stepped in and told them to stop
A security guard who has been charged with homicide said the fight broke out after a group of jealous Serbians saw Henderson talking to a Serbian waitress
He said a the man asked the waitress: ‘What are you doing hanging out with the Americans’ just before the fight began
A Greek coroner ruled that Henderson died from severe injuries to the head and the blows were so severe he did not have a chance to defend himself
Eight people have been charged with voluntary manslaughter -a 32-year-old British bouncer of Serbian origin, a 34-year-old Greek barman and six other men of Serbian origin
Gruesome CCTV recording shows Victim Bakari Henderson did not get up and the attackers milled around over his body, leaving him bleeding to death on the street. Coroners said the blows were so severe he did not have a chance to defend himself
The 22-year-old recent American college graduate allegedly beaten to death in Greece was running away from the mob which killed him, shocking CCTV footage reveals.
The film shows Bakari Henderson, 22, fleeing along the sidewalk when one of the men in the gang body-slammed him to the floor.
The men punched him and kicked him repeatedly for 20 seconds until a woman passer-by stepped in and told them to stop.
In his first comments, the security guard who has been charged with homicide over the attack said that some jealous Serbians objected to Henderson and his friends talking to a Serbian waitress.
The security guard also said that the Serbian asked the waitress: ‘What are you doing hanging out with the Americans’ just before the fight began.
Arizona Univ. student, Bakari Henderson was beaten to death on the island of Zakynthos last week
Police are investigating whether race played a part in the attack on Henderson, who is black, at the Bar Code bar in Laganas on the party island Zakynthos.
Henderson was from Austin, Texas, and in May graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson where he studied Business Finance and Entrepreneurship.
His family said he was in Greece with friends doing a photoshoot to launch his own fashion line.
According to the Greek Security Division the incident began at 3.15am on Friday at Bar Code.
CCTV footage from a nearby bar where Henderson had been partying, was not standing up to a confrontation with mob men chasing after him
The mob crowd round and continue to kick him during the 20-second assault.
The CCTV footage, obtained by Greek newspaper Protothema, is from a bar on the same street as Bar Code.
In the film Henderson is seen wearing a light colored t-shirt and pants running along the sidewalk as he tries to get away from the mob.
A man body slams him into the front of a car from the right hand side and Henderson begins to fall to the floor.
As he goes down one attacker kicks him in the back as he falls, another punches him in the face and the first man kicks him again before he reaches the floor.
Two men, a Briton and a Serbian, have been arrested and eight more are being questioned after the death of University of Arizona grad Bakari Henderson on the Greek island of Zakynthos
Henderson did not get up and the attackers milled around over his body, leaving him bleeding to death on the street.
Others in the group pushed the attackers away and a woman eventually stood over Henderson’s body with her arms raised to stop them coming near him.
After five minutes paramedics arrived and Henderson was taken away on a stretcher.
Police are not seen in the footage; this is the first summer that Laganas does not have its own police station due to government cuts.
Crime scene: A security guard who has been charged with homicide said the fight broke out after a group of jealous Serbians saw Henderson talking to a Serbian at Bar Code, in the town of Laganas
A Greek coroner ruled that Henderson died from severe injuries to the head and the blows were so severe he did not have a chance to defend himself.
Another CCTV clip from inside Bar Code shows patrons looking shocked as the fight starts just outside of view.
In his statement the security guard, who declined to give his name, said that he did not take part in the beating outside.
He told a Greek newspaper: ‘There were lots of people in the bar that night. The girl that works as a PR in the bar, of Serbian heritage, who was on her day off, was hanging out with four Americans including the victim.
‘The girl was talking with them, joking, and having fun. There were also lots of Serbians in the bar.
‘One of them that got into a fight with the victim went up to the girl and told her: “What are you doing hanging out with the Americans” in a very angry way.
‘Then the victim reacted verbally and the Serbian punched him in the face.
Eight people (including six Serbians) have been since been arrested for killing an American tourist in Greece
Photos show the suspects in the fatal beating, who are yet to be named, covering their faces as they were taken for arraignment in court
Suspects in custody include the bouncer at the Bar Code who is a 32-year-old British security guard of Serbian origin, a 34-year-old Greek barman, as well as, six other Serbians. Police are investigating if race played a role in the beat down
‘Then the victim grabbed a bottle and smashed it on the Serbian guy’s head. That’s when it all started.
‘The girl tried to intervene but the victim accidentally hit her with his elbow and she started bleeding. Then she came to me asking for help and I ran in to break them up.
‘The victim must have been drinking, I don’t know how much. He grabbed an ashtray and threw it at me, something that eyewitnesses can confirm.
‘The victim got out of the bar and started running and the (group of) Serbs, me and the Greek bartender followed him.
‘I remember punching him once in the face and two or three times in his body, not the head. When I left the spot a mob of Serbians was hitting him mercilessly in his body and head.’
Henderson was an aspiring entrepreneur and his family and friends said he was ‘so determined in life’ and that it was ‘always a beautiful day’ when was around.
On his Facebook page Henderson said he was a fan of Kobe Bryant and posted a picture of himself in a Los Angeles Lakers shirt.
He posted another photo with some friends where he wrote: ‘Great weekend (with) the homies.’
His college friend Alyssa White said: ‘He was the guy who walked around campus and knew everyone.
‘He was so determined in life, I mean he had dreams of starting a clothing line and opening his own business and he inspired me to work harder.
Soul of the party: Friends and family said Henderson was an aspiring entrepreneur who was ‘so determined in life’ – It was ‘always a beautiful day’ when was around
He was always positive, always happy, always smiling, laughing, joking’
Kobe fan: On his Facebook page Henderson said he was a fan of Kobe Bryant
On his Facebook page Henderson said he was a fan of Kobe Bryant and posted a picture of himself in a Los Angeles Lakers shirt. Tyler Pittman, another of Henderson’s friends, said: ‘I guess I’ll never meet someone as inspirational and influential as that man.
‘He was always positive, always happy, always smiling, laughing, joking…it was always a beautiful day’.
In a statement Henderson’s family said: ‘Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, traveling and meeting new people.
‘He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures’.
In a statement released by the University of Arizona, school president Robert C. Robbins said: ‘Our hearts and prayers are with his friends and family.
‘I can only imagine the deep sense of loss they must be feeling at his untimely death. It is always a tragedy when a young life ends before it has really yet to begin’.
Beautiful tourist spot with a dark soul. In 2011 a 19-year-old British tourist was beaten to death by two Greek taxi drivers on Zakynthos
Greek Island of Zakynthos
A US State Department official said that an American citizen had been killed on Zakynthos and that it was providing consular services to his family.
The incident is not the first killing of foreigner on the island and in 2011 a 19-year-old British tourist was beaten to death by two Greek taxi drivers.
Henderson’s death has led to calls for a clampdown on bars where foreigners drink cheap alcohol late into the night.
A shop owner from Laganas told Ionian TV, a local TV station: ‘The policing is not enough for the area.
‘There used to be a police station here, and they still weren’t adequate. Now they moved it to the town [of Zakynthos]. You can’t imagine what’s going on here at night’.
He added that ‘it’s a specific problem when Serbian groups come in’.
He said: ‘The Serbians are a problem. They have a big problem with the British and the Americans, and sometimes even with Greeks. In those cases there’s a lot of fighting’.
The authorities in Greece are now calling for a clampdown on party islands like Zakynthos, which are known for their cheap bars with rowdy tourists drinking until the early hours.
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