AN AMERICAN university graduate bashed to death outside a bar on a Greek island by up to 15 men was reportedly killed because of an argument over a selfie.

Bakari Henderson, 22, became wrapped up in a heated confrontation involving other bar customers and two bar employees after he asked to take a picture with a waitress, Greek police spokesman Theodore Chronopoulos told the Washington Post.

Video surveillance from the Friday incident outside a bar on the Greek island of Zakynthos shows Henderson running for his life before being fatally beaten in a span of 30 seconds, according to the newspaper.

“They kicked and punched him to his body and his head,” Mr Chronopoulos said. “His death came from hits in his head.”

Nine men have been arrested and charged with intentional homicide in connection to Henderson’s death, Mr Chronopoulos said.

The Greek police spokesman said the fight initially started during a bar night devoted to Serbians.

One of the suspects, a 33-year-old Serbian man, got in an argument with the waitress over the selfie, said Mr Chronopoulos.

He noted that the Serbian hit Henderson, who then whacked a beer bottle on the other customer’s table.

Up to 15 men chased Henderson outside, where they savagely beat him, leaving him lying unconscious on the ground.

The police account contradicts what Henderson’s pals said led to the fatal brawl.

A friend who was with Henderson in Greece had told CBS News that the victim and another pal sat their drinks down on a table of strangers, triggering an angry reaction from two attackers.

The two men grabbed the beers, smashed them on the table, and used the broken bottles as weapons, according to the friend.

Henderson grew up in Austin, Texas, and graduated with a degree in business from the University of Arizona. He was travelling around Greece with friends.

This story originally appeared in The New York Post and is republished here with permission.