The Metropolitan Nashville PD shot and killed a man who held his family hostage and threatened to shoot them. The incident occurred on January 5, 2023, when Mark Capps (54) woke up his wife and daughter at around 3 AM and ordered them into the living room where he held them at gunpoint.
Police in Nashville Shoot and Kill Grammy Award-Winning Country Sound Engineer Who Held Wife and Stepdaughter Hostage at Gunpoint
According to the Nashville PD, Capps wouldn’t allow the two women to leave and kept his pistol on them. He allegedly told them that they would be killed if they tried to get help and would kill anyone coming to the house.
Capps’ wife and stepdaughter managed to escape after he dozed off. They went directly to the Nashville PD precinct in Hermitage and told the officers what was going on in their home. Authorities issued warrants for two counts each of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault against Mark Capps.
Three members of SWAT were deployed to the residence since this was a standoff situation given the kidnapping and threats from Capps. They attempted the stealth approach as they advanced on the house only for Mark Capps to open the front door with his gun in hand.
In a video shared by the police, a SWAT officer shot through the door before breaching. The Metro Nashville PD said that the officer found that “Capps’ movement posed an immediate, imminent threat, and fired.”
Mark Capps was declared dead on the scene. The investigation into the incident will be handled by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Prior to his death, Capps had won four Grammy Awards for sound engineering.
Three of those awards—won between 2005 and 2007–were for Best Polka Album via his work with Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. He also worked with Blake Shelton among other artists in country, gospel, and pop music.
