Zak Kostopoulos, a Greek LGBT activist
and drag performer, died Friday after a brutal attack in an Athens
shopping district.
According to NBC
News, two men have been arrested in connection with Kostopoulos'
death but details remain unclear.
Video of the incident surfaced on
social media, though police have yet to confirm its authenticity.
In the grainy video, a person who could
be Kostopoulos is seen attempting to escape a locked jewelry store,
first by smashing its glass door with a fire extinguisher, then by
crawling through a broken window. As he makes his way out of the
store, two men repeatedly kick him in the head as a mob looks on.
Police also appear to kick the man, and at least one additional
person is seen throwing an object at him. He tries to flee but is
quickly surrounded by police as he stumbles over several tables and
chairs in a food court. Police carry him away in a stretcher.
Police said that Kostopoulos died on
the way to the hospital. A forensic report released Monday was
inconclusive.
“[The body] did not bear injuries
that justify death,” Nikos Kalogrias, one of the coroners, told
Athens-based news outlet Kathimerini. “He has some bruises across
his body – small injuries which alone do not cause death – so we
continue with further laboratory examinations.”
The two men seen kicking Kostopoulos in
the video have been arrested. They are the owner of the jewelry
store and the owner of a nearby business.
Conflicting reports about the
circumstances surrounding the incident have been reported. One
claims that Kostopoulos was armed with a knife and trying to rob the
jewelry store, while another alleges that he ran into the jewelry
store to escape a brawl that had erupted.
Kostopoulos performed in drag under the
stage name “Zackie Oh.” He also helped raise awareness about HIV
through the group Positive Voice.
Around 500 people attended a protest
rally on Saturday in honor of Kostopoulos.