Metro Nashville Police officers responding to reports of an armed man holding two women hostage at gunpoint fatally shot the suspect who turned out to be a Grammy Award-winning recording engineer.
The confrontation occurred early Thursday morning after the two women, the suspect's wife and stepdaughter, managed to escape the home and seek help.
Police said that Mark Capps woke the two victims up at 3 a.m. and threatened to shoot them if they screamed or tried to call 911.
“He threatened them, said if they called anyone, he'd kill them,” Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said.
“He was throwing things about the residence and threatened them with a gun.”
Aaron said that at some point in the morning, Capps fell asleep giving the women a chance to escape and alert the police.
“Members of SWAT conducted a covert operation outside the residence in the vent he barricaded himself inside,” Aaron added.
“As SWAT was on the front porch, he came to the door and opened the door with a gun in his hand. At that point, he was shot.”
Police said that Capps did not fire at officers but still was considered an imminent threat because he was armed.
The suspect was a Grammy winner for four consecutive years for best polka album and had collaborations with stars including Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, and Dixie Chicks.
