Owner of Downtown's Pit and Barrel Shoots, Kills Country Singer Inside Bar

Early Saturday morning tragedy struck as WKRN News 2 reported that Pit and Barrel bar owner Chris Ferrell shot and killed country music singer Jerald "Wayne" Mills of the Wayne Mills Band inside the bar. Ferrell allegedly shot Mills in the head in self-defense after an altercation began regarding Mills smoking in a non-smoking area of the bar. He was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he passed away later that evening. Police are still investigating Ferrell's claim of self-defense, but no arrests have yet been made.

Pit and Barrel, a restaurant and bar formerly known as BoondoxXx BBq, was visited by bar savior John Taffer and crew back in September to film for an episode of Spike TV's Bar Rescue. Interestingly, that particular episode of Bar Rescue was to air last night, but the episode was pulled and a rerun aired in its place.

Ferrell also appears to be involved with upcoming barbecue joint The Hot Rod Grille, located at 611 Wedgewood Avenue near the fairgrounds, with a post on that restaurant's Facebook page back in January saying "We're OFFICIALLY OPEN at our 1st location BoondoxXx BBq and Juke Joint on 515 2nd Ave South Nashville TN...Come in and see us, HOT ROD GRILLE is NEXT!!!," and another update on Nov.12 saying that construction would be starting soon. No word yet on how this might affect the project.
· Singer dies after being shot in head at downtown bar [WKRN News 2]
· Nashville police investigate claim of self- defense in downtown bar slaying [The Tennessean]
· Spike TV's Bar Rescue Visits Rutledge Hill's BoondoxXx BBQ [-ENSH-]