Now We Know Why Riley Strain Was Kicked Out of Luke Bryan’s Bar

Riley Strain was kicked out of Luke Bryan‘s Luke’s 32 Bridge bar just minutes before his death on March 8. Now, we know why.

An autopsy made public last month didn’t share this final detail, but a new, more thorough release of video and police notes reveals this and more.

• The medical examiner report states that Strain died from drowning and ethanol intoxication.
• All Nashville bars have been cleared of any wrongdoing.
• His family’s private investigator says he’s 100 percent certain that nobody tied to the investigation intended to accuse or spread misinformation.

Information debunking a popular conspiracy theory and new video showing Strain’s friends’ responses are part of the data drop.

News Channel 2 in Nashville (via WATE-TV) is one of several outlets who viewed portions of over 100 hours of security footage available. The footage from four bars tracks Strain’s movements, including how and when he was kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge.

After following a friend to the bar, there is a verbal confrontation, at which time security is called to intervene. The TV news station says the disagreement was over a bar tab, but security footage does not include audio.

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

Another message sent at 9:39 indicates the first instruction didn’t hold. “I just escorted him out for a second time from upper. Please, no re-entry,” writes a security guard.

Twenty-one minutes later, Strain’s phone would quit pinging on cell towers north of Gay St., which sits along the Cumberland River. His body was discovered downstream two weeks later.

Video shows Strain’s friend trying to intervene in the conversation between the 22-year-old and bar security. After Strain is walked out, the friend goes (per private investigator Steve Fischer) to another part of the rooftop where his friends are and tells them Strain has been kicked out. They then try to find Strain, but are unsuccessful.

Finally, there’s this photo, which was actually shared before the investigation notes were opened to media:

While difficult to see, the picture shows Strain not wearing a belt that night. Many had wondered how the river pulled his pants off if he was wearing a belt, and some suggested some sort of foul play.

Police have said all along that no foul play was suspected and nothing in the medical examiner’s report changed their minds.

Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer of Video Content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the Secret History of Country Music. Additionally, Billy covers Yellowstone, 1923 and related television shows through the Dutton Rules podcast. To date, he’s written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.