SWAT officer shoots, kills Grammy winner wanted for kidnapping wife, stepdaughter
By Marissa Sulek, Daniel Smithson and Joylyn Bukovac
Click here for updates on this story
HERMITAGE, Tennessee (WSMV) — A four-time Grammy-winning sound engineer is dead after being shot by a SWAT officer at his Hermitage home.
Metro Police said the man was wanted for kidnapping and threatening his wife and stepdaughter at gunpoint.
The shooting happened Thursday afternoon at a home on Summit Run Place. The SWAT officer, identified as Kendall Coon, a 14-year officer with Metro Police, fired on Mark Capps, 54, who was wanted on aggravated assault and kidnapping warrants.
Capps’ discography shows he worked with big names like Big and Rich, Alabama, Black Shelton, and Vince Gill. Metro Police confirmed his brother passed away two days ago.
Thursday, his wife and stepdaughter ran for their lives after being held captive.
Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said the crimes began at 3 a.m. Thursday. Aaron said Capps’ wife, 60, and stepdaughter, 23, were woken at gunpoint and brought into a family room. Capps told the women he would kill them if they called for help or if they left, according to police.
Aaron said sometime after sunrise, Capps fell asleep, and the women were able to run away and go to the police. That’s when warrants were issued for Capps’ arrest.
A SWAT team responded to 128 Summit Run Place Thursday afternoon. Aaron said Capps came to the door with a gun.
Metro Police body camera video shows less than a second after the verbal command “show me your hands,” a SWAT officer shot Capps and killed him.
Nick Lantz, a neighbor and music industry colleague, remembers how they first met.
“I was out mowing the lawn, he came over, introduced himself. He was real friendly,” Lantz said. “We talked about working in the same industry and he just seemed like a normal, friendly guy when I met him.”
Metro Police said cameras outside Capps’ home may have allowed him to see SWAT officers before he encountered them.
Police said his wife and stepdaughter are safe at the Family Safety Center.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed that agents responded to the shooting and will be investigating the incident.
The Metro Community Oversight Board will also investigate the shooting.
“Anytime there’s a loss of life of an individual during an encounter with MNPD it is a tragedy. The MNCO team reviewed the body-worn camera footage but still have many questions related to how this encounter ended the life of Mr. Capps,” Community Oversight Board Executive Director Jill Fitcheard said in a statement. “We don’t know all the details from the hours leading up to this encounter yet, but we will continue our investigation as we have in the past of any police officer-involved shootings. We were not expecting to have a police shooting occur this soon in the New Year and we send our sincere condolences to the Capps family.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
