Bar Owner Charged in Shooting Death of Country Singer Wayne Mills

The man who shot and killed country singer Wayne Mills last month has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Nashville's Tennessean newspaper reports that Chris Ferrell surrendered himself to police immediately Friday afternoon (Dec. 6) after learning that he had been indicted on the charges, which stem from the shooting that took place at the Pit and Barrel in downtown Nashville on Nov. 23. According to reports, Ferrell shot Mills in the head after the two men argued about Mills smoking a cigarette in the non-smoking area of the bar, of which Ferrell is the owner.

“I have every intention of contesting this charge,” Ferrell's attorney, David Raybin, tells the Tenessean. “My client denies that he’s guilty of any degree of homicide.”

Ferrell has said that he acted in self-defense. There have been no reported witnesses to the shooting, but he was indicted after a grand jury found sufficient evidence to charge him in the incident.

The accused has faced allegations of violence in the past. This past summer he was charged with domestic assault, interfering with an emergency call and vandalism after allegedly fighting with a former girlfriend. The charges of assault and interfering were later dismissed, while the vandalism charge was bound over to the grand jury.

Ferrell's bond was set at $300,000 on Friday. Raybin plans to request a bond hearing on Monday (Dec. 9).