Well this is just terrible.
A Grammy-award winning country music recording engineer was shot and killed by a Nashville SWAT team yesterday after a warrant was issued for his arrest for allegedly holding his wife and stepdaughter hostage at gunpoint.
In a briefing from Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron, SWAT officers were allegedly called to the home of recording engineer Mark Capps after he allegedly woke his 60-year old wife and 23-year old stepdaughter at 3 AM at gunpoint and held them in the living room of the house, telling the women that he would kill them if they attempted to call anyone, and would kill any police who showed up at his house.
The women escaped when Capps fell asleep and drove to the police department, who obtained a warrant for Capps and called in a SWAT team to execute the warrant due to the threats Capps had made overnight.
As the SWAT team prepared to move in, Capps allegedly opened the door with his pistol in his hand. When officers demanded that Capps show his hands, according to Aaron, officers “deemed that Capps’ movements posed an immediate, imminent threat” and opened fire.
In the video released by the police department, SWAT officers can be seen firing three shots through the glass storm door, and a photo was released of the pistol that officers say he was carrying when he opened the door.
(WARNING: The video is disturbing).
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Davidson County District Attorney are investigating the incident, and the MNPD is conducting a mandatory use-of-force investigation to ensure that all policies and procedures were followed.
Capps was the son of Jimmy Capps, legendary Nashville guitar player who was a member of the “Nashville A-Team,” a group of studio musicians who appeared on most albums coming out of Music City in the 1950s through the early 1970s. Jimmy Capps was also the house guitarist for the Grand Ole Opry.
Mark Capps has worked with names like Alabama, Tracy Lawrence, Blake Shelton, Amy Grant, the Dixie Chicks and Brooks & Dunn. He was also credited on Dolly Parton’s latest album, Run, Rose, Run, from 2022.
