Police release body camera footage from fatal police shooting in Hermitage

This story involves details of domestic violence. If you need assistance, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

A man accused of threatening and holding his 60-year-old wife and 23-year-old stepdaughter at gunpoint is dead after a Nashville police SWAT officer shot him Thursday afternoon on the porch of his Hermitage home.

Mark Capps, 54, was armed when he opened his door to three SWAT officers, according to Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Don Aaron.

Hours earlier, Capps, a Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, woke up the two women in the middle of the night with a gun in hand.

"He threatened them, said if they called anyone he'd kill them," Aaron said of the 3 a.m. encounter at a news briefing Thursday afternoon. "He was throwing things about the residence and threatened them with a gun."

The women also told police Capps threatened to kill any officers that came to the house.

What we know:Nashville police fatally shoot Mark Capps, release bodycam footage

Capps ultimately fell asleep, allowing the women to escape with their pets to the Hermitage police precinct, Aaron said. At the precinct, the two women swore out arrest warrants on charges of aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. They were also in the process of filing an order of protection against Capps.

MNPD told The Tennessean there were no recent calls for service to the home and that Capps had no public arrest history in Davidson County.

Aaron said, given the threat of violence and gun ownership, MNPD enlisted its SWAT team to serve the warrants against Capps around 2 p.m. He said three members of the SWAT team approached the home.

"Members of SWAT conducted a covert operation outside the residence in the event he barricaded himself inside," Aaron said. "As SWAT was on the front porch, he came to the door, opened the door with a gun in hand. At that point he was shot."

Aaron said it appeared the house had a camera system, and that Capps may have been watching the officers, who were clearly dressed in police uniforms. He was unsure how many shots were fired, but only one officer fired his gun. It does not appear Capps fired his gun, Aaron said.

Capps was the son of Jimmy Capps, a beloved Opry guitarist and Musicians Hall of Fame member who died in 2020.

MNPD releases bodycam footage after officer fatally shoots man in Hermitage

Editor's note: This video contains graphic content and may not be suitable for sensitive viewers.

Around 8:45 p.m. Thursday, MNPD posted a YouTube video with commentary from Aaron and partial body-worn camera footage from SWAT Officer Kendall Coon. The footage began as Coon, a 14-year veteran of MNPD, approached the front door of the home.

The footage showed the front door opening as Coon stood on the porch with his weapon in hand. Coon and another officer shouted at Capps to show his hands three times. It was unclear from the video if Capps said anything or pointed his gun at the officers.

"Officer Coon deemed that Capps' movements posed an immediate, imminent threat and fired," Aaron said in the video.

At least four shots could be heard in the video as the glass door shattered and the main door appeared to swing partially shut. The officers continued to yell at Capps to show his hands three more times as they entered the home before the body-camera footage cut back to Aaron's commentary.

Capps died at the scene, Aaron said. No officers were hurt in the shooting. A photo of the pistol police said Capps was carrying was also in the video.

TBI launches investigation

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will handle the ongoing investigation.

TBI often conducts use-of-force investigations in Nashville and statewide. It will report findings to the District Attorney's office in Nashville.

"TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews," TBI said in a news release around 9 p.m. Thursday.

MNPD will also conduct an administrative review of the shooting, per its policy, Aaron said.

Additionally, the Metro Nashville Community Oversight Board reviewed the body-camera footage from the scene and said in a Twitter post that it had "many questions" in the wake of the shooting. The board will also investigate the shooting.

Marcus Dowling contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SWAT fatally shoots Grammy winner Mark Capps in Hermitage