20-year-old Philippos Tzanis wanted to celebrate with his little sister who was getting her high school diploma at the graduation ceremony on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the party ended in tragedy. A group of men beat the Minden youth to death in a local park, newgreektv.com reports.
He was hospitalized with serious brain injuries. His family prayed for him for three days. On June 26, the treating doctors informed his family that the boy was brain dead.
„We can't believe that something like this happened to us,”, Philippos' father, Dimitris Tsanis, told BILD. "I can't believe he's gone," he added.
Philip was invited to the prom of the 3rd Ratsgymnasium in Minden, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Graduates and their families celebrated on Saturday at the Kaiserpalais. After graduation, Philippos and his 19-year-old best friend, who is also his sister's classmate, visited a nearby park after midnight.
The two were probably going to Adiamo Dance Club, where the graduation party was going on, or wanted to go for a walk on the way home.
Filippos, 20, and his friend got into an argument with a group of about a dozen youths in the park, according to police. The men repeatedly kicked and punched the two friends. It is said that one of the attackers hit Philippos particularly violently. His friend is slightly injured.
According to police spokesman Lucas Recker, the victim was seriously injured in the attack, which led to his death. His condition was irreversible and he died of his injuries."
Philip's family is shocked by the violence. “I don't understand why people use violence as entertainment. I don't understand why people beat someone mercilessly,”, his father told the German newspaper inconsolably.
Philippos was a calm and compassionate young man, as his family members describe him. “He always protected others more than himself and always protected the weak,” Dimitris Tsanis said. "Philipos was a music producer. He had his whole life ahead of him," he added.
He recently got his own apartment and wanted to start training as a hotel manager. “He was just the best son... The violence must finally stop. This can happen to any child and no father or mother should have to experience this."
The police department in Bielefeld has started an investigation to identify the perpetrators.
Police are looking for the main suspect, who is described as moustached, 1.76 meters tall and wearing an orange Adidas jacket. The prosecutor's office calls on the perpetrators to surrender, adds the German publication.