Family prepares to say goodbye to son after he was allegedly knocked unconscious by Nashville bar security guard

By Marissa Sulek

Click here for updates on this story

    NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — A family is trying to figure out how to say goodbye to their son as they plan to make the difficult decision to take 26-year-old Austin Turner off life support.

The Metro Nashville Police Department said Turner was knocked unconscious by a licensed security guard at a Nashville bar a couple of weeks ago. His family says they’re begging the public to help figure out what happened.

Turner’s family described him as kind, giving, selfless, and never aggressive, and they hope that’s how he’s remembered.

“He was funny,” Taylor Felts, his sister, said. “He was just the best big brother.”

“I got to speak to my son for the last time on Friday two days before it happened,” his father, Josh Turner, said. “And I just wished I had stayed on the phone a little bit longer.”

His family learned Austin was in the ICU at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was hospitalized with a fractured skull that led to a massive stroke he would not recover from.

“I know in my heart of hearts that my son was not doing anything that provoked this kind of attack,” his stepmom, Meagan Turner, said.

His family said Austin was at Tin Roof off Demonbreun Street around midnight on Feb. 18th to celebrate a DraftKings sports betting win with friends. His parents say the group ordered a ride home and left, while Austin said he was waiting on his ride.

“His friends asked him if he was good like, ‘Hey, you good? Want us to wait until your Uber gets here?’” his stepmom said “He said he was fine. He didn’t have any reason at that point to know that this was going to be his fate.”

The Metro Nashville Police Department said Austin tried to go back into Tin Roof but was denied reentry. That’s when police said a licensed security guard, 36-year-old Richard Cornelius, knocked Austin unconscious.

Cornelius was charged with aggravated assault and has bonded out of jail.

“So, he is walking around while our son is lying in a hospital bed,” his stepmom said.

His family said they don’t know what led up to the attack. They haven’t seen any video, so they are asking the public to help.

“How it was provoked and things like that, we are still a little grainy,” his stepmom said.

Austin turned 26 on Sunday in a coma. His family knows going forward, they won’t be able to celebrate his special moments in life, all because of a fight that led to an outcome they believe Austin didn’t deserve.

“Unfortunately, Austin is not going to win this fight,” his stepmom said.

Austin is an organ donor. His family plans to work with the hospital to find recipients in the coming days.

The attorney representing Cornelius, Ben Powers, said he had no comment.

On March 6, a Reed Public Relations employee sent the following statement on behalf of Tin Roof CEO Bob Franklin:

“We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation, but we are fully cooperating to aid law enforcement in their efforts and will continue to do so. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Austin Turner.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.