The incident took place around 15:00 (3 p.m.) on 24 June 2006, when the 54-year-old Demoor was heading to work on a De Lijn city bus in Antwerp.
When the supposedly threatened youth tried to ward off Demoor, the latter is said to have grabbed the boy (1m 60 tall) at the throat and pushed his head against the bus window, yelling : "Now you will shut up!"
[8] Public broadcasters claimed that the arrests were thanks to tips received from the ethnic North African community, but the justice department denied this.
"[9] Later on in the investigation, the public prosecutor reclassed the case from manslaughter to assault and battery resulting in unintentional death.
An autopsy on Demoor's body showed that he died because of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, possibly caused by high blood pressure or anxiety, or — indirectly — by the wounds brought on during the fight.
[11] On July 1, a reconstruction of the incident was held in a De Lijn depot, because of safety concerns and the fact that the setting was of little importance.
[14] On November 14, 2007, the court of appeal ruled that Demoor had not provoked the facts, and that the beating was indeed the direct cause of his death.
[15] The court cited his youthfulness, his blank criminal record, and his remorse (which the widow of Demoor claims not to have seen) as reasons for this lighter sentence.
[18] During Demoor's funeral on June 30, a 14-year-old girl who witnessed the incident read a letter saying that "he was just a nice man trying to bring calm".
His colleagues declared that Demoor was a calm and peace-loving man, and said to be outraged that he was being presented as the initial aggressor by some.