Recent UA graduate Bakari Henderson was beaten to death by a crowd of 10 people at a bar in Greece early Friday morning, July 8.
While police have yet to determine the cause of the fight, they had initially arrested four suspects according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. Two of the suspects, a 34-year-old Greek man and a 32-year-old British man, worked at the bar as a bartender and bouncer, respectively. The other two suspects were 22-year-old Serbian men.
Six more Serbian men were arrested later the same day, after police identified them from security camera footage and raided their hotel.
Henderson was with friends, but reports so far do not indicate whether they were involved in the fight. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona. said he’s working with the State Department to ensure the safe return of his friends to the United States.
Henderson was pronounced dead at a local hospital on the island of Zakynthos where he was working on a photo shoot to promote his new clothing line.
Originally from Austin, Henderson graduated from the UA in May with a bachelor’s in business finance and entrepreneurship.
“Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, traveling and meeting new people,” his family said in a statement. “He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures. Bakari was an inspiration to all he met. He loved life and lived it to the fullest.”
“Our hearts and prayers are with his friends and family,” said UA President Robert C. Robbins in a statement sent to the UA community Friday afternoon. “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.”
Robbins said the Dean of Students Office is reaching out to students who may have known Henderson to offer support.
A friend of the Henderson family started a GoFundMe page the day he died to help pay for the funeral and return of his body to the United States.
“This is the celebration of life for Bakari Henderson,” the page reads. “The love for this young man overflows and this loss is unbearable for so many of us…”
The page has raised more than $50,000 from 706 donors as of July 12.
