The Reason Behind Riley Strain’s Ejection from Luke Bryan’s Bar Revealed

Riley Strain was removed from Luke Bryan’s Luke’s 32 Bridge bar just minutes before his unfortunate death on March 8. Recently, new details have surfaced explaining the circumstances surrounding his last moments.

The autopsy report that came out last month did not provide these final details, but a more exhaustive release of video footage and police notes has now shed light on the situation.

• The medical examiner confirmed that Strain’s death was caused by drowning and ethanol intoxication.
• An investigation cleared all Nashville bars of any misconduct.
• The family’s private investigator is certain that no one involved in the investigation aimed to accuse or spread false information.

New information debunking a prevalent conspiracy theory and video showing Strain’s friends’ reactions are integral parts of this data release.

News Channel 2 in Nashville, among other outlets, reviewed portions of over 100 hours of security footage. This footage, from four different bars, tracks Strain’s movements, including the moments leading up to his removal from Luke’s 32 Bridge.

Strain had followed a friend into the bar when a verbal altercation occurred, prompting security to step in. According to the TV news station, this disagreement involved a bar tab, although the footage lacks audio.

A text sent to the bar staff at 9:28 PM included a picture of Strain along with the message: “Verbally aggressive with staff. No Entry.”

Another message at 9:39 PM indicated that the initial instruction was not followed. A security guard wrote: “I just escorted him out for a second time from upper. Please, no re-entry.”

Twenty-one minutes later at around 10 PM, Strain’s phone stopped pinging on cell towers north of Gay St., near the Cumberland River. Two weeks later, his body was found downstream.

Video footage shows that Strain’s friend attempted to mediate the confrontation between Strain and bar security. After Strain was ejected, this friend reportedly went to another part of the rooftop to inform their group of friends about Strain’s expulsion. They then attempted to locate Strain but were unsuccessful.

An intriguing point in the investigation involves a photo, previously shared before the investigation notes were made public. The photo shows Strain without a belt that night. This fact raised questions about how the river could have pulled his pants off if he was wearing a belt, fueling some theories of foul play.

However, police officials have consistently stated there was no evidence of foul play, and the medical examiner’s report did not alter their stance.

Source: News Channel 2 in Nashville, WATE-TV