Police officers involved in the Athens beating death of 33-year-old LGBTQ activist Zak Kostopoulos now face charges of inflicting fatal bodily harm and will appear in front of the examining magistrate on Monday.
The attack on Kostopoulos occurred on September 21, 2018, when he went into a jewelry store and the owners of the store incorrectly assumed that he was a robber. The two shop owners began beating him, both repeatedly kicking Kostopoulos in the head as he tried to crawl out of the shop through a shattered display window.
Passersby watched the assault unfold and recorded it on their devices.
By the time police arrived on the scene, Kostopoulos was laying motionless on the pavement in front of the shop and a crowd had encircled him. Police officers then proceeded to assault his lifeless body.
An autopsy released in November revealed the cause of death, showing the thirty-three-year-old had died of a heart attack as a result of the beatings. He was not under the influence of any drugs at the time.
After the autopsy findings were published, his family insisted the two shop owners also be held accountable for his death. Both now face charges of manslaughter and first-degree murder.
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