Grammy-winning recording engineer Mark Capps was shot and killed by police at his Nashville home on Thursday, hours after being accused of holding his wife and stepdaughter at gunpoint.
According to the Nashville Metropolitan Police DepartmentCapps woke his 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter at 3 a.m., held them at gunpoint in their house and refused to let them go, telling them that if they tried to call anyone, he would kill them.
When the 54-year-old engineer fell asleep, police said the women had escaped the house and fled to the Hermitage precinct, where they told authorities they feared Capps. Arrest warrants were issued for Capps, charging him with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault, and three SWAT officers were sent to his home, police spokesman Don Aaron said.
As officers approached the house, Capps allegedly opened the front door with a gun in hand, Aaron said during a briefing. One of the officers “thought Capps’ movements posed an imminent, imminent threat and fired,” he said. “Capps died on the spot.”
The recording engineer had worked with top artists such as Alabama, the Dixie Chicks, Neil Diamond, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Brooks & Dunn and Barry Manilow. He won Grammys for best polka album four years in a row.
Capps was part of an established Nashville music family. He was the son of legendary Grand Ole Opry guitarist and Musicians Hall of Famer Jimmy Capps, who also had a prolific career as a studio guitarist. He died in 2020.
