Police Captain In Mark Capps SWAT Killing Moved To Parks Dept.
It was four months ago this week that 4-time Grammy-winning country engineer Mark Capps was gunned down in the front room of his house by Metro Nashville police. Friends, family, co-workers, and the country music community continue to search for answers in the killing, while internal affairs and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continue to claim they are actively investigating the matter.
Though investigations are ongoing, the public claims from Metro Nashville Police are that the department did nothing wrong in the killing. But when considering the circumstances of how Mark Capps died, these claims not only go against the department’s stated policies and Tennessee statutes, they may also not conform with internal moves made within the department after the shooting.
While meeting with the editorial board of The Tennessean in March, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake told the paper that SWAT Officers who responded to the home of Mark Capps acted within department policy when he was fatally shot.
“I can’t say I’m happy or not, but I’m never satisfied by someone losing their life,” Drake told The Tennessean. “I look at each individual interaction and try and see how we can be better.” But Chief Drake continued to claim no department policies were violated.
Saving Country Music has learned that the Captain who presided over the SWAT team on January 5th when Mark Capps was killed has been reassigned. Captain Greg Davis had previously been over the Special Operations Division (SOD), SWAT, the Special Response Team (SRT), and Aviation until April 1st when the department went through some internal restructuring. Greg Davis is now the Police Captain over the Parks Department.
Though Metro Nashville Police did not announce the transfer publicly at the time, they have since verified the move to Saving Country Music. And though no reason for the transfer of Capt. Davis has been given publicly, sources inside Metro Nashville Police have said that it had to do with the handling of the Mark Capps incident, at least in part. The move from the Special Operations Division (SOD) to the Parks Department was perceived by certain individuals within Metro Nashville Police as a de facto demotion.
Sources inside Metro Nashville also say the move was part of a broader reshuffling of personnel and policy changes, perhaps as preemptive action ahead of any findings by the TBI investigating the Mark Capps killing, and eventually the TBI turning those findings over to the Davidson County District Attorneys Office for potential action.
The internal moves came just three days after the Covenant School Shooting in Nashville on March 27th, which could have complicating any public announcement or release of the information about the moves and the reassignment of Captain Greg Davis. A March 31st press release from Metro Nashville Police about promotions and appointments makes no mention of the Capt. Davis transfer.
“I don’t really know if there is a reason per se,” Public Affairs Officer Kristin Mumford tells Saving Country Music about the Greg Davis transfer. “It’s not unusual for this police department to make transfers and promotions. In fact, we pride ourselves in not letting people just get stuck in the same job for years. So we move people around with some frequency. Prior to Greg being over the division, he was in the sexual violence division. And prior to that, he was investigations. So he’s had an interesting career path.”
As for why the transfer was not announced publicly, why it was not noted in the personnel file for Captain Greg Davis obtained by Saving Country Music, or on if it had anything to do with the Mark Capps killing, Kristin Mumford says, “That investigation is ongoing, so that will be part of that review.”
Mark Capps was killed on January 5th after the SWAT team was deployed to his house to serve warrants against him over claims that he kidnapping and threatened his wife and stepdaughter, and held them in the house against their will. Instead of attempting to serve the warrants directly or asking Capps to give himself up, the SWAT team attempted a “covert operation” where they tried to place an explosive device on his front door. When Capps came to the door, allegedly with a gun in his hand, SWAT Officer Ashley Kendall Coon opened fire, shooting Mark Capps three times with his AR rifle. Capps was pronounced dead on the scene.
The group “Friends of Mark Capps” has launched a petition, and is seeking justice for Capps. One of the questions the groups wants answered is why the situation wasn’t handled with de-escalation tactics that could have saved Mark’s life. Police say they were aware of cameras in use on the property, so why were the police officers ordered to the front door, putting both the officers and Mark Capps in harm’s way as opposed to attempting to negotiate with him to leave the house peacefully? Capps had no prior criminal record, police had not been called to the house previously, and Capps never fired a shot. Presumably, Captain Greg Davis presided over the fatal “covert operation” decision.
Saving Country Music has also confirmed that SWAT Officer Ashley Kendall Coon was placed on three days administrative leave after the killing of Mark Capps, though that information was never shared with the public, and does not appear in his personnel file.
Saving Country Music has also obtained the personnel file for TBI Officer Noah Silva. It was revealed on January 18th that despite Metro Nashville Police not mentioning him at all, Officer Silva had been in the house of Mark Capps as the boyfriend of the stepdaughter when the alleged threats and kidnapping occurred. How Officer Silva was able to escape while the wife and stepdaughter were allegedly being held against their will has not been explained, nor is there any explanation at to why Officer Silva did not report the incident when he left the house and reported for duty at TBI headquarters the morning of the killing.
“We can confirm an off-duty TBI police officer (whose primary job is to provide security at TBI offices) was at the home as a guest of the step-daughter referenced in media reports the night prior to Friday afternoon’s shooting,” TBI spokesperson Susan Niland told Saving Country Music. “He left the home before the two women reported their concerns to Metro Police. The TBI notified District Attorney General Glenn Funk of this information when it surfaced and he requested we remain in an investigative capacity in this ongoing case.”
Along with being a current TBI Officer, Noah Silva also had Top Secret/SCI-Poly clearance as a former officer for the National Security Agency, or NSA. His involvement in the incident has led individuals in the “Friends of Mark Capps” group to ask why the TBI is allowed to continue the investigation when it could cause a conflict of interest. All officer-involved shootings are immediately handled by the TBI, but some are wondering if due to the circumstances, the case should be escalated to the United States Justice Department.
The autopsy report for Mark Capps was released on April 17th, confirming that his death was a homicide, and that Capps was shot three times in his left shoulder area. Toxicology confirms that at the time of his death, Capps had a blood alcohol level of 0.16, and also has prescription Xanax and Hydrocodone in his system.
The Backstory of the Incident
According to Metro Nashville Police, the incident began when Mark Capps allegedly went on a tirade at his home in Nashville around 3 AM on January 5th, 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 or flee the home, he would kill them. When Capps eventually fell asleep around sunup, the two women were said to have escaped with their pets to the Hermitage police precinct where they explained to police what happened.
Four total warrants were issued for Mark Capps, two for aggravated assault and two for kidnapping, and a request for a protection order was also processed. Since Capps had allegedly used a gun to threaten the two women along with the presence of other firearms in the residence, Metro Nashville Police chose to use the SWAT team.
The incident occurred at a time when Mark Capps was said to be under great duress. Mark’s brother Jeffery Allen Capps had died two days prior to the incident. Mark Capps worked as the sound engineer for Grand Ole Opry members The Isaacs. On December 15th, Becky Isaacs was hit head-on in a two car collision in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and hospitalized. This resulted in the Isaacs having to cancel numerous tour dates, which put Mark Capps out of work right around the Holidays.
Mark Capps was a prolific studio engineer with engineering credits tracing back to 1991. Alabama, The [Dixie] Chicks, The Mavericks, Brooks & Dunn, Clay Walker, and Elizabeth Cook are some of the many artists Capps worked with in his career. Capps was also a co-winner of Grammy Awards for Best Polka Album in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. His father was legendary Grand Ole Opry guitar player Jimmy Capps, also known as “The Man In Back.”
Saving Country Music has reached out to the Nashville chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police for comment, as well as the Davidson County District Attorneys Office. Neither has responded.
Stay tuned to Saving Country Music for continuing coverage of the killing of Mark Capps.
May 10, 2023 @ 9:29 am
Thank you for keeping this alive.Mark was a dear friend.
May 10, 2023 @ 10:00 am
It keeps getting stranger. Why is a former NSA Officer providing routine security at TBI? Seems overqualified for such a position. How old is this individual? My impression was he was fresh out of college with an entry level job at TBI. Thanks for your continued investigation and effort.
May 10, 2023 @ 10:51 am
I’m telling you, and I have a good nose for this sort of thing, it is my perspective, that the officer in the home, as well as the stepdaughter, and presumed second wife of Mark caps, the stepdaughter’s mother, apologies if I am unsure of his marriage history, but I believe these three individuals conspired to execute Mark caps by cop. Has anyone looked into his life insurance status? Any additional names on inheritable property or possessions?
When you get right down to it, it’s the only possible way to make all the pieces fit together at this time. That is to say that the officer in the home, as well as the women involved fabricated a large section of their story, specifically to engage officers in an effort to get Mark Capps executed by police.
So far, the only testimony that this alleged pseudo-abduction in the home, and even occurred are the two women, and supposedly this third officer who was present. Given the extreme confusion and conflict of interest in the whole scenario, I would argue that there is no meaningful evidence that the story was not fabricated by these three people. If not fabricated, at least exaggerated. Something doesn’t add up.
May 10, 2023 @ 3:43 pm
“How Officer Silva was able to escape while the wife and stepdaughter were allegedly being held against their will has not been explained, nor is there any explanation at to why Officer Silva did not report the incident when he left the house and reported for duty at TBI headquarters the morning of the killing.”
“We can confirm an off-duty TBI police officer (whose primary job is to provide security at TBI offices) was at the home as a guest of the step-daughter referenced in media reports the night prior to Friday afternoon’s shooting,” TBI spokesperson Susan Niland told Saving Country Music. “He left the home before the two women reported their concerns to Metro Police.
Seems to me that the TBI spokesperson is suggesting that the criminal incident involving Mark Capps threatening the other occupants of the house with his gun did not occur until after Officer Silva had left. That’s a huge distinction and TBI needs to clarify that. If Officer Silva “escaped” while the others were being held captive and did not immediately notify the police, then he’s guilty of criminal dereliction of duty–not to mention that the 23-year-old stepdaughter should probably look for a new boyfriend.
May 10, 2023 @ 4:04 pm
All four of the affidavits state that the boyfriend, the stepdaughter, and the wife were awoken by Mark, and Metro Nashville Police spokesman Don Aaron explicitly stated, on two separate occasions, that he woke them up at gunpoint.
May 12, 2023 @ 3:07 pm
Where did Don Aaron mention Silva ?
May 12, 2023 @ 3:27 pm
All four of the affidavits acknowledge his presence, and he is referred to as either “her boyfriend” or “her daughter’s boyfriend”. He is not identified by name in any of these documents. Don Aaron never mentions him at all ever – that is the problem. Aaron also makes other claims (such as, “Capps said… he would kill any police who showed up at the house”) which none of the affidavits state. Aaron also makes the explicit claim that Capps had a gun when he initially woke everyone, but the affidavits, as constructed, do not make this point clear and obvious. I broke down the affidavits, as well as other aspects of the case, in detail in the comment sections of previous articles concerning Mr Capps on SCM, if you are interested in giving them a look.
May 10, 2023 @ 4:13 pm
Officer Silva was in the house during the alleged incident, including the threats and kidnapping. He did leave the house before the wife and stepdaughter left. But it was after the alleged kidnapping had been happening for hours.
May 10, 2023 @ 4:28 pm
So you’re saying that Office Silva “ADMITS” that he not only witnessed Mark Capps threaten the occupnats of the house with a gun, but that he “escaped” while the threat was ongoing and that he took no action to end the threat and did not call in the emergency and notify the department?
That’s a gaping hole in the police accunt right there. Why has Silva not been brought up on departmental charges, let alone criminal charges? Has anybody raised that question to the TBI “spokesperson”–and, if so, what’s the response?
Somebody is clearly lying. Officer Silva’s own actions suggest that the “threat” from Capps–which was the basis for the raid by the SWAT team–was greatly exaggerated.
May 10, 2023 @ 4:40 pm
I have not spoken to Officer Silva, and he has not spoken publicly. So I don’t want to say he “ADMITS” to anything. Since there is an open investigation, I don’t believe Officer Silva is in a position to speak to the press. I have reached out to the Fraternal Order of Police to speak on behalf of the officers that were involved in the incident, and they have not responded. I’ve also spoken to the Public Information Officers at both Metro Nashville Police, and the TBI, and have also heard from sources from within the Metro Nashville Police Department.
Yes, Noah Silva’s presence in the house calls into question a lot of things we’ve been told about this incident by Metro Nashville Police spokesperson Don Aaron. How Officer Silva was allowed to leave when there was an alleged kidnapping ongoing, and why he did not report the incident when he left, we do not know.
May 10, 2023 @ 4:58 pm
Until such time, as there is a reveal of information substantive enough to convince me otherwise, I will retain that this officer and the women involved, conspired to execute Mark by police officer involvement. At the time of this posting, I believe all the pieces fit together to point towards that as an outcome. Surely it can’t be hard to find out exactly what these two women are up to. I bet it would take minimal research to find out if they are living in a paid off house that they would have inherited, or were able to inherit business Assets and sell them to make a bundle. Follow the money.
May 10, 2023 @ 6:06 pm
@Fuzzy
And where does Officer Koon–the guy who actually shot Mark Capps–fit in with your theory? Was HE part of the conspiracy?
If not, then how could Silva and the two women have known that Koon would blow Capps away? I’d have expected that Koon and his team would placed a phone call and taken Capps in without any violence.
Or is the theory that they lucked out and happened to get a scream- and-shoot-first, ask-questions-later cop to show up at the scene?
Maybe you’re right, but none of this really makes sense to me and it requires an independent investigation.
May 12, 2023 @ 9:25 am
Thanks for staying on top of this story. It gets sadder and sadder.
May 16, 2023 @ 4:22 pm
Trig,
Do you know if mental health might have been a factor at all? You surely know a lot more about the matter than me but that is my hunch.
I have plenty of first hand experience when it comes to mental health/police/family trying to have authorities intervene to get, well, me hospitalized. My father knew a judge so it was easy for my family the first time, and after that once you’re “in the system” it’s pretty easy I feel.
One time I was having a manic episode and happened to have a scheduled therapy session. My therapist suggest I be hospitalized and I was like, ok, fine. She called a hospital I believe and it was a non starter. Then she called the police and said I had threatened to harm myself. “No I didn’t!” I yelled and she said “damn, you are sassy”. I guess my point is that if mental health was in fact a factor, it can be tricky if you are family and friends to get the person help in a way that will be effective and taken seriously by still trying to avoid any further trauma or harm.
May 16, 2023 @ 4:41 pm
Mental health is definitely considered a factor in this issue. The brother of Mark Capps had died just two days before, and he was clearly dealing with a lot of emotional distress tied to that. There may have been others factors as well, but I don’t want to speculate publicly on other things at this point. This was definitely a mental health crisis though, and there are fair questions of why heavily armed police officers were used to handle it as opposed to mental health professionals, crisis negotiators, friends or family, or more done to diffuse the situation as opposed to exacerbate it by the aggressive move of heavily-armed men placing explosives on his front door.
May 16, 2023 @ 6:20 pm
Thanks Trig, both for the reply and your coverage of this story.
Part of the reason why I bring up the mental health issue is because lately I have notices several stark instances where, frankly, left leaning media and politicians have been all too willing both remain silent regarding police killings of mentally ill people (for what it’s work, it was a black man in the instance I’m referring to) and demonizing mentally ill people in the name of gun control (I’m assuming both of these examples are related to politics regarding gun control…I myself never had strong feelings about guns or gun control but now I guess I am part of the fray).
Also, I want to express that it is nice to have a place to express these things, as I have often in the past re mental health. It’s reassuring to know that anybody who reads this who knows all the words to Delta Dawn gets me at least a little.