Updated: A Grammy award-winning recording engineer who has worked the Nashville music scene for 35 years, Mark Capps, was shot and killed by police in Nashville Thursday afternoon. He was killed by a member of a SWAT team after he brandished a gun in the entryway of his home, a spokesperson said, as police responded to an incident in which Capps allegedly held his wife and adult daughter-in-law at gunpoint.
The death sent shockwaves through much of the local music community. Capps was part of a family well known in Nashville circles; He was the son of the legendary tournament player, Grand Ole Opry Guitarist and Musicians Hall of Fame member Jimmy Capps, who passed away in 2020. Capps’ fatal shooting comes just two days after his brother’s death, as revealed on his social media.
On Thursday night, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released body camera footage of the shooting. It is difficult to capture the Capps’ actions at the time they were captured in the video footage, as sunlight reflects off the house’s glass exterior door. A still image included in the police department’s video shows the handgun police say he was holding when he was shot. (The video, as posted by the police on YouTube, is embedded below.)
Capps, 54, was wanted for aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping orders at the time of his death. Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron told reporters that Capps brought his 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter into their family room at gunpoint around 3 a.m. and “told them if they called someone, he was going to kill them. They were very scared.” him and his actions towards them for not allowing them to leave.” After he fell asleep at dawn, the police said, the two women fled and went to the Hermitage Precinct to file a report. The SWAT team confronted and killed him shortly after giving orders at 1:55 p.m
Recordings on Capps’ website state that since 1987, he has worked with country and gospel artists including AlabamaThe Dixie Chicks, Neil Diamond, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Brooks & Dunn, Barry Manilow, Chris Young, Aaron Tippin, Conway Twitty, Joe Diffie, Oak Ridge Boys, Big & Rich, Gaither Vocal Band, John Michael Montgomery , Kenny Rogers, Donna Summer, Mavericks, Anita Cochran, Kenny Loggins, Olivia Newton-John and Isaacs, among others.
The Recording Academy’s website shows that he won the Grammy Award for Best Polka Album four consecutive years, from 2005 through 2008, working with Jimmy Storr’s group and his orchestra.
“Right after the arrest warrants were issued, SWAT was preparing in case he barricaded himself inside,” Aaron told reporters. news channel 5. “He came to the door with a gun in hand. At that moment, he was killed by a bullet. We have since learned that there were cameras watching the house from outside. He probably saw them well outside the house. They were wearing SWAT gear and were clearly marked as members of the police department.”
Footage of the shooting released by the Nashville police can be seen below, framed by commentary from Aaron. The disturbing, age-restricted video shows an officer standing outside a glass door, opening the interior door, revealing a figure who appears to be wearing pajamas. The officer shouts “Show me your hands!” Just before opening fire, then repeat the warning when opening the shattered door. The “It’s a Wonderful Life” Christmas ornament is seen swinging back and forth on the interior door as the officers enter. Aaron concludes the YouTube clip by saying there will be an investigation to ensure the officers acted properly.
In his video statement, a Nashville Police spokesperson provided additional information beyond what was told to reporters earlier in the day. Aaron says in a YouTube video that Capps’ wife and daughter told the officers not only that he had threatened to kill them, but that he would shoot the police, too, if they showed up.
Capps had just lost his brother two days before the accident that led to his death. In Capps’ last public Facebook post, dated yesterday, he wrote, “No words. RIP Jeffery Allen Capps, December 31, 1967 – January 3, 2023,” along with an undated photo of himself and his brother standing at their father’s grave.
Mark Capps’ last post on Facebook, posted the day before he was shot and killed by a member of the Nashville SWAT team.