Nashville security guard indicted in death of bar patron at Tin Roof
NASHVILLE, Tenn. September 8 2024 A licensed security guard has now been indicted in connection with the death of a man he assaulted outside a Demonbreun Street bar.
Austin Turner, 26, was left in a coma and died a couple of weeks after an altercation with Richard Cornelius, a licensed Tin Roof security guard.
According to the Metro police, Cornelius denied Turner entry into Tin Roof on Demonbreun Street on Feb. 18, 2024. Midtown Hills Precinct detectives accused Cornelius of striking Turner, “causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.”
According to his mother, Turner suffered a skull fracture that led to a subdural hematoma. He required an emergency craniotomy but he fell into a coma and died a few weeks later.
Cornelius was charged with aggravated assault in March before he was indicted on Aug. 14.
During a preliminary hearing in May, Turner’s family watched the video capturing the incident for the first time.
The video from a neighboring business shows Cornelius appearing to push Turner out of the bar and as he walks away, you see the guard appear to strike Turner multiple times from behind.
Cornelius’s family said the video only captures what happened outside the bar, not what unfolded inside Tin Roof, accusing Turner of trespassing and assaulting the guard.
Witness testimony said video from Tin Roof doesn’t exist.
Cornelius was indicted with intentionally or knowingly causing injury to Turner that resulted in his death.
