Local
Man dies after downtown Nashville bar altercation; police investigation continues
Torey Ward, 45, of Atlanta, died after a fight outside a bar on 2nd Avenue North early Sunday, according to Metro Nashville police. No charges had been filed as of Monday, and the medical examiner was still determining Ward’s cause of death.
A 45-year-old Atlanta man died after a fight outside a downtown Nashville bar early Sunday, Metro Nashville police said.
Police identified the man as Torey Ward. The altercation involved Keith King Jr., 37, of Nashville, and began after Ward’s girlfriend had an encounter with King while Ward was in the restroom, police said.
After Ward returned, a verbal dispute broke out inside the bar. Staff asked the group to leave, and a physical fight between Ward and King began outside on 2nd Avenue North, according to police.
Witnesses told investigators that King punched Ward and then put him in a chokehold. King told police he acted because he feared for his safety, police said.
Ward’s girlfriend told police she tried to intervene after seeing King punch Ward in the chest several times inside the bar. She was injured by an unidentified woman who was with King’s group, according to police.
Ward was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he died. The medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death.
No charges had been filed against King as of Monday. Police said they will present their findings to the district attorney’s office as the investigation continues.