Country Engineer Mark Capps, Son of Jimmy Capps, Killed by Police
Grammy-winning country music recording engineer Mark Capps was killed by SWAT team members of the Nashville Metro Police Department on Thursday, January 5th after an arrest warrant had been issued in his name for the alleged kidnapping of his wife and stepdaughter earlier in the day.
With scores of credits to his name for artists such as Dolly Parton, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ronnie Milsap and many others, 54-year-old Mark Capps was well-known throughout the country music community, and was the son of Grand Ole Opry legend and Musicians Hall of Fame member Jimmy Capps, also known as “The Man In Back” and the sheriff of Larry’s Country Diner. Jimmy Capps passed away in 2020.
The incident began when Mark Capps allegedly went on a tirade at his home in Nashville around 3 am Thursday morning, throwing things in the house and ultimately holding both his 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter at gunpoint, allegedly telling them that if they tried to call anyone, he would kill them. When Capps eventually fell asleep around sunup, the two women escaped with their pets to the Hermitage police precinct where they explained to police what happened.
Four total warrants were issued for Mark Capps for aggravated assault and kidnapping, and a request for a protection order was also processed. Due to the concern for the firearm Capps had allegedly used to threaten the two women and the presence of other firearms at the residence, Metro Nashville police chose to use the SWAT team to serve the warrants. According to Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron, worried that Capps might barricade himself in the home, SWAT decided to conduct a “covert operation” outside the residence.
“As the SWAT members were on the front porch area of the home, he actually came to the door, opened the door with gun in hand,” Don Aaron explains. “At that point during that altercation or confrontation with the SWAT members, he was fatally shot.”
Police believe that Mark Capps might have been watching their movements on the house’s video surveillance system. Police do not believe Capps ever discharged his weapon. Police had never been called to this residence before, and there were no other incidents of domestic violence or disturbance involving the police between these parties previously.
In body cam video released by Metro Nashville police (not embeddable), a SWAT officer brandishing an AR-style rifle can be seen pointing it at the front door of the residence, and shouting through a storm door “Show me your hands!” before firing four shots. SWAT officers then enter the residence, continuing to shout “Show me your hands!” after Capps retreated into the house. There is also a picture of the pistol Capps was allegedly carrying.
As with all officer-involved shootings in Nashville, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will handle the investigation henceforth. “In the coming days, the TBI, and the District Attorneys Office will continue to investigate and analyze this incident,” says Metro Nashville’s Don Aaron in a video accompanying the body camera video.
With engineering credits tracing back to 1991, Mark Capps was a prolific studio engineer. Alabama, The [Dixie] Chicks, The Mavericks, Brooks & Dunn, Clay Walker, Elizabeth Cook, and The Isaacs are some other artists Capps worked with in his career. Capps was the mixing engineer on Dolly Parton’s most recent album, Run, Rose, Run. He was also a co-winner of Grammys for Best Polka Album in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The brother on Mark Capps— Jeffery Allen Capps—had just passed away on January 3rd. Friends and co-workers of Capps shared concern over the incident as news of the shooting emerged on Thursday.
“I just can’t believe what I’m hearing, one of my dearest and closest friends and long time engineer Mark Capps has been killed,” says musician, producer, and composer Michael Spriggs. “I’m besides myself and stunned. How in the world could this have happened????? I’m reading text and simply not believing it could possibly be true, someone tell that it isn’t….”
More information on this story when it becomes available.
January 6, 2023 @ 12:12 am
I have a LOT of questions about this incident, and I intend to ask them in the coming days. The alleged behavior of Mark Capps is very troubling, and police officers most certainly have a right to defend themselves. But did this man really need to die? Could they/did they try to open a line of communication with Mark in the house? Could they have used negotiators or mental health professionals in the situation as opposed to sending heavily armed individuals to the front door before announcing their presence?
Incidentally, Mark Capps was a reader of Saving Country Music. He’d recently shared my review of Zachariah Malachi’s new album, which Mark’s father produced. Mark Capps was part of the country music community. But more specifically, he was part of the traditional country music community.
Sad all the way around.
January 6, 2023 @ 6:26 am
Go check out the YouTube channel Police Activity to get an idea of what your average cop perceives as a threat serious enough to open fire on, and kill people. Walking around with a knife? Bang. Walking towards a cop with a stick? Bang. I treat every encounter with police as a situation where there’s a better than zero chance I’ll end up dead. I’ll be curious if you find out whether they spent a second trying to deescalate the situation of if they went in bound and determined to put him down.
January 6, 2023 @ 7:12 am
these are the questions us libcommiesocialists have been asking for a long time in regards to state-sanctioned police murder. interesting to see what finally gets conservatives asking them.
January 6, 2023 @ 3:39 pm
In TN we call that: fuck around and find out. Only those with a death wish approach SWAT with a weapon. Mark was not stupid-he was aware of this. I think it is obvious he was suicidal after the loss of his brother and the upcoming loss of his family. Sad all around, but do not try to shift the blame to the police here. They did what protocol required in this instance.
February 20, 2023 @ 10:18 pm
Maybe it’s the protocol that we should be questioning then.
January 6, 2023 @ 10:35 am
He fricked around and found out. Glad the cops went home to their families that day.
September 15, 2023 @ 11:33 am
Go back to the sea OYSTERBOY!!
January 7, 2023 @ 8:46 pm
What a sad day, the human brain is so fragile and I don’t know what was going on in his but there are consequences for our actions. I will not pass judgment only pass condolences to the entire family. I miss Jimmy very much but I am glad he did not have to live through this.
January 6, 2023 @ 3:09 am
I am thinking mostly of his poor, dear and precious mother and the fact that she has lost husband, and both sons within less than three years!
January 10, 2023 @ 8:49 pm
Mark’s mother, Annie, passed away many years ago. She was a sweet lady. Jimmy remarried a wonderful gal, Michele, who is no doubt heartbroken. Had Jimmy and Annie still been alive, losing both sons in two would have been devastating. Prayers for Michele.
January 6, 2023 @ 4:13 am
Opening the door with a gun in hand while the SWAT Team is coming to take you in is what’s know as “suicide by cop.”
January 6, 2023 @ 6:27 am
They were “conducting a covert operation” when he opened the door, not actively attempting to take him into custody. I watched the video. I never saw a gun. Not saying he wasn’t holding one, but I didn’t see it. The police officer yells “show me your hands”, not “drop the weapon” or “drop the gun”. If I am holding a pistol and shot point blank four times with an AR-15, how does my pistol end up partially under a rug and a bag? Like to see the entire video, not just part of it, and the body cam of the officer standing next to him. We have no idea where the pistol was located in relation to Mr Capps body from that still photograph.
January 6, 2023 @ 9:48 am
@Coat–My comment was an instant quip, based entirely on the description of the incident given by the Metro Nashville PD spokesman, as quoted by SCM. I did not mean to say that I believe that it went down as the PD said of that I’m on the side of the cops here. I’m 100 percent for a full investigation.
January 6, 2023 @ 4:41 am
Police excalated a situation where no one was in any present danger
January 6, 2023 @ 9:22 pm
Were you there?
January 6, 2023 @ 4:52 am
And as a non-American I just shake my head at the ease of which people can get their hands on guns. Another tragic death that could’ve been avoided.
January 6, 2023 @ 5:19 am
Our country hasn’t stripped guns from our citizens…yet. Mark didn’t shoot at the cops. Luckily he didn’t fire at his family or the cops. The cops shot him when he brandished the gun. Knives kill too and are stab wounds are often just as deadly. Removing a type of weapon doesn’t change the heart or intent of a deranged person.
January 6, 2023 @ 5:25 am
well there was the implication
January 6, 2023 @ 6:37 am
Shake your head all you want – it’s called the 2nd amendment to OUR Constitution- and the right to defend ones self as one sees fit- do you not see a problem with cops who shoot first and ask questions later? The ease with which one gets a gun is immaterial. Do you have a clue as to how many people own guns and don’t get shot? Of course you don’t. You only care about what you feel is a problem.
I got news for you, bus. Cops kill more people than citizens do, legally. I spose you’re okay with that. Good lord. Get off my lawn.
January 6, 2023 @ 6:45 am
Cops kill more people than citizens do, legally.
Not true in the slightest.
January 6, 2023 @ 8:34 am
Read what’s written, not what you want to see- what part of “legally” do you not comprehend?
January 6, 2023 @ 8:50 am
You are completely over estimating the number of people police kill, legally or not. Justified homicides by civilians is much more common.
January 6, 2023 @ 10:01 am
@ronnie
I don’t know if justified homicides by civilians is much more common, but I certainly know that unjutified homicide by civilians is more common.
Whether a homicide is justified or not is sometimes clea-cut, but sometimes is not. In those ambiguous, “I-felt-threatened, I-was-in-fear-for-my-life” situations, we only get to hear the one person’s side of the story.
January 6, 2023 @ 4:19 pm
It’s difficult to find the data because justifiable homicides don’t have a central place keeping track of them like regular homicides but this is the best that I could find:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/251894/number-of-justifiable-homicides-in-the-us/
According to those numbers police justifiable homicides outpaced civilian justifiable homicides until 2019 at which point the latter overtook the former. It should be noted that both are relatively small numbers for a nation of 300 million people so gaps in the data could produce a significant difference in the outcome if they could be taken into account.
January 6, 2023 @ 6:46 am
And this is the point so many Americans miss. I don’t need a gun to protect myself from a policemen with a gun because they don’t carry them either! I also don’t need a gun to protect myself from civilians carrying guns because I’ve never come across anyone that does.
It’s a shame we can’t go back in time to whoever decided allowing people to carry guns was a good idea (I should probably know who this was but admit I have no idea) and shoot them in the head. Oh, except I wouldn’t be able to because I didn’t have a gun! You get my point.
January 6, 2023 @ 7:34 am
The fact that you stated a person should go back in time and shoot the other person in the head lets me know that guns aren’t the problem…people are. I have tons of guns for hunting and protection. If the police knocked on my door, I wouldn’t answer it with a gun in my hand or on my person.
January 6, 2023 @ 4:25 pm
What if you saw a bunch of armed men on your security cam and they were surrounding your home and approaching points of entry? What if you were mentally unwell, as this man seemed to be?
I think we can find a balance between responsible firearm ownership and police responsibility. Was it a dangerous situation? Sure. Could they have gotten shot? Yes. Could they have fired tear gas canisters into the home and flushed him out to take him in a non-lethal way? Maybe, but they didn’t try.
We can’t do a lot about people going crazy and we can’t take people’s guns. Even if it was legal and everyone was onboard there’s too many, it’d take forever. But we can demand better policing from our public servants.
January 6, 2023 @ 8:30 am
As long as you’re safe then everyone else is?
January 6, 2023 @ 8:43 am
No one said anything about “need”… it is an inherent right to choose, that is want, not a “need”- time traveling is also a want- as is believing somebody should be shot in the head- defending ones self in a manner “one” sees fit is an inherent right as well as an obligation.
Get off my lawn.
January 6, 2023 @ 10:25 am
Possibly it’s because the US was founded by people with guns who wanted to start their own nation. Also having a permanent underclass of criminals who commit the overwhelming majority of gun crimes with guns they don’t legally own, doesnt help.
January 6, 2023 @ 8:42 am
Without the 2nd amendment, DJ, Naomi Judd will still be alive and seducing Rory Feek, and Tom T Hall would still be alive and pouring over Oklahoma phonebooks.
January 6, 2023 @ 10:37 am
You believe suicide can’t happen without a gun? If the 2nd amendment didn’t exist the only people with guns would be criminals and law abiding citizens would be defenseless from them. And politicians bodyguards would still have their guns of course to protect them from the criminals with illegal guns.
January 6, 2023 @ 10:18 am
That claim is so completely and utterly false. The number of police shootings that are lethal are closer to 1000. The overwhelming majority of those are justified. Firearm deaths per year are closer to 30,000. Suicides are included in that number. The US is the only country to include suicides in crime stats.
January 6, 2023 @ 3:38 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPWEiqHVFGI
Melt the Guns
Song by XTC
Programmes of violence,
As entertainment,
Brings the disease into your room.
We know the germ,
Which is man-made in metal,
Is really a key to your own tomb.
Prevention is better than cure,
Bad apples affecting the pure,
You’ll gather your senses I’m sure
Then agree to,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
And never more to fire them.
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
And never more desire them.
Children will want them,
Mothers supply them,
As long as your killers are heroes.
And all the media
Will fiddle while Rome burns,
Acting like modern-time Neros.
Prevention is better than cure,
Bad apples affecting the pure,
You’ll gather your senses I’m sure
Then agree to,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
And never more to fire them.
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
And never more desire them.
I’m speaking to the Justice League of America.
The you S of A,
Hey you,
Yes you in particular!
When it comes to the judgement day and you’re standing at the gates with your weaponry,
You dead go down on one knee,
Clasp your hands in prayer and start quoting me,
’cause we say…
Our father we’ve managed to contain the epidemic in one place, now,
Let’s hope they shoot themselves instead of others,
Help to civilize the race now.
We’ve trapped the cause of the plague,
In the land of the free and the home of the brave.
If we listen quietly we can hear them shooting from grave to grave.
You ought to,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
And never more to fire them.
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
Melt the guns,
And never more desire them.
Songwriters: Andy Partridge
Melt the Guns lyrics © BMG Rights Management
January 6, 2023 @ 4:08 pm
“When it comes to the judgement day and you’re standing at the gates with your weaponry,
You dead go down on one knee,
Clasp your hands in prayer and start quoting me,”
YEAH, UH – NO.
You should sing this to the Ukrainians
January 6, 2023 @ 6:15 am
That is very sad. I too have a lot of questions. I know very little about Mark. Did he have a history of violent behavior? Criminal record? Mental illness? From what I know of him this seems to be out of character. Was he the son to Michelle Capps or was Jimmy married previously?
January 6, 2023 @ 8:39 am
Police had never been called to this residence before, and there were no other incidents of domestic violence or disturbance between these parties involving the police previously. I do not know if Mark had a criminal record or an issue with mental illness prior to this incident. That is being looked into.
January 8, 2023 @ 4:47 pm
Jimmy’s first wife was his mother. She is deceased.
January 6, 2023 @ 6:40 am
All the armchair quarterbacks thinking they know better than the cops when none of them were within 20 miles of the incident.
January 6, 2023 @ 8:37 am
I know that cops don’t often try to de escalate- they do however, shoot before they have all the facts.
January 6, 2023 @ 10:52 am
@DJ–You know nothing.
There were over 10 million arrests in the U.S. last year. That’s about Ten thousand times the number of people shot dead by police. And anybody who circulates in dense or even medium population areas will see multiple encounters of police with disruptive and disorderly people that do not end with an arrest at all. De-escalating situations is what cops generally spend their time doing. Most cops go years, or their whole careers without shooting anybody.
January 6, 2023 @ 4:36 pm
We’re also way worse than our peer countries when you consider our number of police killings versus our population. While you’re correct at how rare police killings are compared to the public perception it’s not as good as it could be. Now why is a matter of debate and probably not something we can ever be sure of. Is it just easy access to weapons? A higher poverty rate? Simply a cultural propensity to violence? Who knows?
January 6, 2023 @ 10:42 pm
@Ryan–The prevalene of guns here is definitely a major part of that.
A very high share of bad shootings by police (possibly including the subject of the above article) occur when the officer mistakenly believes that a suspect is holding or reaching for a gun and makes a split-second decision to shoot in what he believes is self-defense.
January 6, 2023 @ 2:57 pm
You mean like how you comment before you have all the facts?
January 6, 2023 @ 9:20 pm
Nope! Are you a cop??? Yeah they just storm homes and shoot random people???
January 6, 2023 @ 6:48 am
Very sad news. Clearly a difficult and dangerous situation for the Police to attend and not of their making. Best not to speculate at all until all the facts and evidence are properly considered. Whatever, it is very sad for everyone concerned.
January 6, 2023 @ 7:25 am
This is heartbreaking.
January 6, 2023 @ 7:42 am
How about we just behave ourselves and there would be no cops at our door?
January 6, 2023 @ 9:01 am
It’s sad that this situation had to end up with a death. No negotiation with the person whatsoever? How about a phone call to try to defuse any possible violence or at least a negotiator first. This sounds like pretty shoddy police work…a lot over the top!
January 6, 2023 @ 4:08 pm
They had to stick their super cool explosives on his door first. That way, if he didn’t come out peacefully, they could set off their super cool explosion, throw in their super cool flash bang grenades, and make their super cool “dynamic entry” – all the while shouting super cool stuff, and getting a super cool endorphin rush. If you don’t play with all of your toys, Santa may not give you shiny new ones next year. Gotta justify the super special team and their big budget somehow.
January 7, 2023 @ 3:57 pm
Winner, winner, chicken dinner.
March 1, 2023 @ 8:11 pm
I call it “toxic masculinity” at its finest.
May 24, 2023 @ 7:46 am
its toxic cops.. i’m sure there were a few women in there as well. Womens libber puke at its finest
January 6, 2023 @ 12:00 pm
It’s sad that this situation had to end up with a death. No negotiation with the person whatsoever? How about a phone call to try to defuse any possible violence or at least a negotiator first. This
January 6, 2023 @ 12:13 pm
Sorry s swat team called in for one person that has never been a problem before is really crazy. A sniper in position from afar is in no position to be able to make a call on whether to shoot or not. I have no problem with a sniper present but only to react to a situation not start it. The guy had just lost his brother, how about the sheriff with a couple of officers knocking on the door. I’m sorry, there’s a difference between someone who just lost his brother and maybe just is over stressed vs a career criminal with a history of violence. I support law enforcement but sometimes better decisions have to be made.
January 6, 2023 @ 12:31 pm
For y’all’s perusal
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/02/22/2-cops-charged-florida-womans-accidental-shooting-death/98269012/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/07/26/police-wrong-house-fatal-shooting/512434001/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/apr/19/autopsy-confirms-patrick-lyoya-shot-head-police-officer-face-down
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/charleena-lyles-seattle-shooting-pregnant-black-mother-of-four-brettler-family-place-a7797971.html
https://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/11/03/richard-ferretti-police-shooting/
We the people are being told to comply or die.
January 6, 2023 @ 12:55 pm
Are you the DJ that used to have Gus McRae as your avatar?
January 7, 2023 @ 6:04 am
Yes
January 7, 2023 @ 6:09 pm
Glad you’re still around DJ.
January 6, 2023 @ 12:57 pm
There are a lot of speculative opinions coming from both sides on this one. Maybe we should wait until we have more facts before we jump to conclusions about anything?
January 6, 2023 @ 2:40 pm
don’t know anything about the guy or the specifics of the situation but many people seem to be forgetting. The police went to the house because he held his wife and daughter hostage while brandishing a gun. They didn’t go to the house because he was playing music too loud. Perhaps it is an unjustified shooting by police, the investigation should reveal that but stop acting like they went there randomly.
January 6, 2023 @ 4:12 pm
Communists: “Abolish the police! Throw bricks at their heads!”
Liberals: “Defund the police! Arrest and imprison the cops that communists falsely accuse of Racism™️!”
Libertarians: “Murder should not be illegal at the Federal level!”
Republicucks: “Felate all cops, even though they’d gleefully violate my civil rights on behalf of a tyrant!”
Me: ????
January 8, 2023 @ 3:13 pm
“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams
Uh oh.
January 8, 2023 @ 3:35 pm
““Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams”
Don’t you worry.
Still the majority in this country.
Light will always win out, over dark.
No matter what is going on, GOD is always in control
January 8, 2023 @ 7:22 pm
@Corncaster
Fact Check: True
January 6, 2023 @ 5:03 pm
Were the the camera crews from REELS or the Cops Show in trail? I tend to believe that when camera crews are involved, police or any form of law enforcement have the tendency to show off how tuff they are. I have known that Nashville is getting crazy and more dangerous by the day but the danger is NOT SUPPOSED TO BE from Law Enforcement towards the general public. Did Mark point the firearm at any law officer or did he make any threats to them WITHIN HIS OWN HOME??? I hope ALL camera footage from every cops camera is published and this whole tragedy is FULLY exposed. We’ll see……
January 6, 2023 @ 8:54 pm
It’s sad that this has devolved into a gun debate, which is one of the most pointless kinds of debate. Not gonna change any minds here.
January 6, 2023 @ 9:33 pm
His 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter told police he had held them in the home at gunpoint early Thursday, police said.
Yup, the police are at fault.
January 7, 2023 @ 6:17 am
“His 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter told police he had held them in the home at gunpoint early Thursday”, <<<<< (allegedly) police said.
If a law enFORCEment officer tells you the sky is blue on a cloudy day with no blue in sight-
I can remember reading about Civilains On Patrol and PEACE Officers – then we got policemen- now we have law enFORCEment officers- whose motto seems to be, comply or die- way too often.
January 8, 2023 @ 2:12 pm
40-7-106. Notice of authority and grounds for arrest — Telephone call.
(a) When arresting a person, the officer SHALL inform the person of the officer’s authority AND the cause of the arrest, AND exhibit the warrant if the officer has one, EXCEPT when the person is in the ACTUAL COMMISSION of the offense OR is pursued immediately after an escape.
40-7-108. Resistance to officer.
(a) A law enforcement officer, after giving notice of the officer’s identity as an officer, may use or threaten to use force that is reasonably necessary to accomplish the arrest of an individual suspected of a criminal act who resists or flees from the arrest.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the officer may use DEADLY FORCE to effect an arrest ONLY IF ALL other reasonable means of apprehension have been exhausted OR are unavailable, AND where feasible, the officer has given notice of the officer’s identity as an officer AND given a warning that deadly force may be used unless resistance or flight ceases, AND:
(1) The officer has probable cause to believe the individual to be arrested has committed a felony involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious bodily injury; or
(2) The officer has probable cause to believe that the individual to be arrested poses a threat of serious bodily injury, either to the officer or to others unless immediately apprehended.
40-7-107. Authority of officer to break in.
To make an arrest, either WITH or without a warrant, the officer may break open any outer or inner door or window of a dwelling house if, AFTER notice of the officer’s office, authority and purpose, the officer is refused admittance.
January 8, 2023 @ 2:50 pm
Is this for the State of Tennessee?
January 8, 2023 @ 2:53 pm
Yes. Everyone please go to the Tennessee Government website and look at the actual code.
January 8, 2023 @ 4:46 pm
If there exists video/audio evidence corroborating any/all of the allegations made against Mr. Capps, Tennessee Law Enforcement needs to release this to the public. Absent such evidence, it is – at least hypothetically – possible that Mr. Capps was innocent of some/all of the allegations made against him; which were subsequently used by Law Enforcement to acquire warrants for his arrest. Law Enforcement Officers actions, as much as private citizens, are required to strictly conform to legal code – even when those actions are directed towards an individual who has been accused of violent criminal behavior. It is noteworthy that none of the initial statements made by the Metro Police Department included the assertion that Mr. Capps pointed his gun at the SWAT officers before he was shot and killed. Police Spokesman Aaron asserted, “As three SWAT members attempted to begin work outside the home, without Capps seeing them, he opened the front door, with pistol in hand. SWAT Officer Kendall Koon… yelled at Capps to show his hands. Officer Koon deemed that Capps movements posed an immediate, imminent threat, and fired.”
What these “movements” consisted of, were not made clear by Spokesman Aaron, nor readily apparent from my repeated viewings of the body cam footage made available to the public. By my calculation, LESS than two seconds elapsed from the time door began to open, until the first shot was fired. The AR-15 used to shoot Mr Capps was not even ready to fire, as the safety mechanism was initially engage when the door opened. Nor was Officer Koon’s finger on the trigger when the door was opened. In much less than two seconds, Officer Koon disengaged his weapon’s safety, placed his finger on the trigger, and applied enough pressure to discharge the round.
It is also noteworthy, that none of the SWAT Officers were actively attempting to serve Mr Capps with his arrest warrants, and take him into custody, at the time of the shooting. Judging by the body cam footage, it is my opinion, the Officer to Officer Koon’s right, was placing an explosive charge on the door, while Officer Koon and another Officer off camera, were providing armed cover for the “work” mentioned by Spokesman Aaron.
Was Mr Capps shot because he pointed his firearm at the Officers?
Was Mr Capps shot because he did not “Show me your hands!” quickly enough? Less than, much less than, two seconds, from command to kill? What exactly were these “movements” made by Mr. Capps that Officer Koon deemed an “immediate, imminent threat”? Many questions to be answered still.
January 10, 2023 @ 10:48 am
I find it troubling that he was basically immediately shot at as soon as he opened the door, unless he was pointing a weapon at officers which doesn’t seem the case. It is also a good point that Capps may be not guilty of some or all of what he was accused of doing that caused police to be called. There is supposed to be a presumption of innocence.
That being said I am not against police doing their job, having to use force will sometimes be necessary.
February 4, 2023 @ 7:41 am
Gun in hand kill or be killed….
March 1, 2023 @ 8:24 pm
We have requested the additional body cam footage, but I’m doubting we will ever get it. I know every news station in Nashville has also. If there is nothing to hide, why don’t they release all of it? There were cameras outside of Mark’s house, for sure, that he monitored on his phone (all of his friends knew this) and the police were told of this. He also told a handful of friends that he had put some hidden cameras in his house because of some paranoia he had. I’m betting if there were cameras inside that house, there was one pointed at the entryway. I’m sure if the footage exists that the TBI has it. I think it was very convenient that the footage MNPD released was obstructed by Coon’s big-ass gun. (Side note – why don’t SWAT officers have cameras on their helmet? Putting a body cam right in front of the gun is just stupid.) There is no way in hell you can tell if Mark had a weapon in his hand or not – or whether he pointed it at anyone.
March 2, 2023 @ 6:41 pm
If it is true that Mark had cameras inside of his home, that is a major revelation and could potentially provide very serious evidence regarding what actually transpired there within, from all parties involved. There is also the very curious case of the mysterious disappearing boyfriend. According to the affidavit, he is present the entire time and victimized alongside the wife and stepdaughter, until Mark, allegedly, force his wife and stepdaughter into the bedroom. What happened to the boyfriend and where he goes after the two women and Mark enter the bedroom is not stated, referenced, really questioned, or publicly known.The Affidavit does, however, clearly state that only his wife and stepdaughter flee the home, along with their pets, at approximately 1000 hours. Huge question. Also a huge question is what actually took place in the home that morning and the previous evening leading up to Mark, allegedly, awakened these three people with a gun. Something that no surviving party desires to discuss?
March 2, 2023 @ 8:19 pm
You have hit the nail on the head. I know what the fight was about, but I will not discuss it here, but you are spot on, as always, Coat. So many questions…….you know the boyfriend declined to give a statement to the police about the incident. That’s why there were not 3 charges of kidnapping. Just makes for more questions. The TBI were made aware of what Mark said about having hidden cameras in his house by one of his friends that had first hand knowledge of it. I just hope that they were not removed before they could be viewed. If they exist – the truth about EVERYTHING would be on those cameras. Including the elusive disappearing boyfriend..
October 24, 2023 @ 3:27 am
Our society refuses to deal with mental illness. We need to reopen mental health treatment facilities. People blame inanimate objects (guns) for poor decision made by people. Politicians closed the mental health facilities in the early 1980’s and now refuse to deal with it.
July 13, 2024 @ 3:08 pm
I agree the politicians closed all mental health hospitals in the 1980’s, placed what they could in nursing homes, which was a failure. And did not have any mental hospitals to replace them. Just like they would never have people with mental problems again. Some were released on the street because everyone has a right to do what they to.