Tragic History Repeats Near Ponce Kroger as Consecutive Beltline Stabbings Trigger Urgent Security Overhaul
Decades ago the Kroger on Ponce was widely known as another name, “Murder Kroger,” because of a tragic murder that happened in the grocery store. As years progress, two additional deaths happened at the location. Determined to shed its given name because of the tragic mishappens, Kroger kicked off a new name, BeltLine Kroger.
But now in recent months tragic deaths have been occurring on the Beltline.
The grim reputation of the site resurfaced on Sunday afternoon after a violent altercation along the Eastside Trail left a 29-year-old man dead. What began as a verbal argument outside the 725 Ponce development escalated into a fatal stabbing in broad daylight. Police took 54-year-old Johnathan Hamby into custody shortly after the incident, revealing that Hamby is a convicted felon with 30 previous arrest cycles who was currently on active probation for aggravated assault.
Sunday’s killing is not an isolated incident along the paved multi-use trail. Just three months ago, in May 2026, 23-year-old Alyssa Paige was tragically stabbed to death in broad daylight near the Beltline’s Flagler Avenue access point. In that case, 21-year-old Jahmare Brown—who also had a documented history of prior arrests—was taken into custody after a spree of unprovoked daytime attacks along and near the corridor.
The recurrence of unprovoked, high-profile violence within a span of just a few months has left visitors and residents questioning whether the city’s flagship urban trail is becoming an increasingly unpredictable environment.
A History Written in Blood
The Ponce location’s dark history dates back to 1991, when a clerk was shot and killed in the original grocery store’s parking lot. Subsequent fatalities in 2012 and 2015 solidified the grim moniker in local lore. When developers demolished the original structure to make way for a modern, multi-story flagship store integrated directly into the Beltline, city leadership and corporate executives hoped the rebranding would bury the past once and for all.
Instead, the violence has shifted outside the store’s doors and onto the city’s primary pedestrian highway.
Mayor Orders Urgent Security Review
In response to growing public outrage following back-to-back fatal incidents, Mayor Andre Dickens has ordered an immediate, comprehensive review of Beltline public safety operations. The city’s response will focus on three key directives:
- Patrol Deployment: Re-evaluating shift coverage by the APD Beltline Precinct and municipal park rangers during peak transit hours.
- Surveillance Audits: Expanding active camera monitoring and emergency call boxes around high-density commercial hubs near Ponce City Market.
- Repeat Offender & Mental Health Policies: Coordinating with county prosecutors, judicial partners, and behavioral health systems to address multi-cycle repeat offenders operating in public spaces.
Local civic groups plan to meet with APD zone commanders this week to demand a persistent, visible law enforcement presence, warning that the urban trail’s identity depends on immediate and effective safety interventions.