NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A Smyrna family wants answers after their loved one died on a rooftop bar in downtown Nashville.
Police say 22-year-old Dallas Barrett was found unresponsive on the top floor of Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, just before 11:00 p.m. Monday.
Less than 24 hours after losing her son, Tammy Barrett says she is numb and trying to stay strong.
Barrett says her son who went by “DJ” was a man of many talents; an avid hunter, fisherman and aspiring rapper.
“He was full of life, literally full of life,” she explained saying, “he was funny, silly, just a lot of fun to be around.”
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Video from his brother’s recent wedding capturing some of that wit DJ was known for. His love for his family something that will always resonate with his mom Tammy and his grandmother “Nanny” who all lived together in Smyrna.
“He was very protective of myself and my mom and loved his brother more than anything in the world,” Tammy teared up.
DJ also had a dream of being a rapper, a goal his mom says he always strived to achieve.
“He believed in that more than anything in the world. That was one of the things I loved best about him is that he never gave up on his dream,” she cried.
A dream that DJ’s family can now only reflect on through videos, in one he sings about the “Good Life.”
Tammy says DJ went out with friends Monday night, but never returned home. Metro police are saying he was involved in a fight with security staff at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, where it was reported they held DJ on the floor and he became unresponsive.
Tammy says her son went out of the world much like he came in, “He wasn’t breathing when he was born and so it took him a minute to get his heart, to get him going and so I said this morning you know he came into this world fighting, he went out fighting for his life.”
While there are still a lot of unanswered questions as to what happened on that rooftop bar at the end of the day the Barrett’s lost a son, a brother, a grandchild, that they want others to never forget.
Barrett leaves behind 5 sisters and a brother.
His mom says he worked at BoomBozz in East Nashville and just recently started working as a security guard downtown at Tin Roof as well.
Metro police have video of the fight from at least one cell phone that they are reviewing, but they are asking anyone else who may have footage to contact them at 615-862-7019.
