(Rightallegiance.com) – Three teenagers are facing charges in connection with the fatal beating of a father of three in Ohio. The incident unfolded at 7 p.m. on December 6 at a Kroger grocery store in Columbus, according to WSXY-TV. The victim, 53-year-old Donnie Smith, was confronted by the three young men inside the store and the altercation escalated.
Security intervened and asked the suspects to leave, leading to the continuation of the fight outside the store. Donnie Smith was critically injured and taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. According to a friend who was with Smith, the assailants seemed to be targeting anyone they could.
Charging documents from the local ABC station described Smith as “unconscious and bleeding from the head due to the beating,” with the group allegedly “laughing and enjoying themselves” during the assault. Smith passed away two weeks later.
The suspects, identified as 18-year-old Dionta Hughes, 19-year-old Jamarion Evans-Bennett, and a 17-year-old minor Jayden Agee, fled the scene in a red vehicle. Hughes and Evans-Bennett’s photos were released, while Agee’s identity was withheld due to his status as a minor.
Homicide detectives apprehended the three individuals on murder charges, though the details of how they were tracked down were not disclosed. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities urge anyone with information to contact Columbus police.