Father of 3 is beaten outside Kroger and dies in hospital days later, Ohio family says

Three people were arrested after a brutal beating of a 53-year-old father outside a grocery store, according to Ohio police and news reports.

The father, identified by family as Donnie Smith Jr., died Monday, Dec. 18, following the Dec. 6 incident outside a Kroger in Columbus, family said.

Columbus police said the three suspects were kicked out of the Kroger after “an altercation with patrons.” They then fought outside with Smith, who police said was taken to a hospital and listed in critical condition.

Surveillance footage showed Smith being knocked to the ground, then kicked and punched, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Smith underwent brain surgery after being “brutally attacked,” loved ones said in a GoFundMe. But family said he “did not make it.”

Police said the three suspects fled in a red vehicle.

The trio was arrested Dec. 20 and charged with murder, according to and WCMH. They were identified as Jamarion Fredrae Evans-Bennett, 19, Dionta Davon Hughes, 18, and a 17-year-old boy.

Smith was a father of three who enjoyed “race cars, softball and sports,” according to an obituary.

Nicole Evans, Smith’s partner of 20 years, called the beating “a random act of violence.”

“Donnie was an amazing person,” Evans told WSYX “He was a great father, he loved his kids, they were his world.”

This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Father of 3 is beaten outside Kroger and dies in hospital days later, Ohio family says."