NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — So far this year, there have been nine officer-involved shootings in Tennessee.
Two of them took place right here in Nashville. The first one happened on Jan. 5, 2023, when Nashville SWAT officer, Ashley Kendall Coon, shot and killed Grammy award-winning engineer Mark Capps.
The aftermath of that interaction left Capp's longtime friends and family members wondering if things would have been different if de-escalation tactics were used.
Capp's death is still under investigation, but officer Coon's personnel file, obtained by NewsChannel 5, shows a history of use of force and eight suspensions.
In one case in 2012, Coon was attempting to do a knock and talk with a neighbor. No one was answering the door, but eventually, a man came outside pointing a gun at officers. He was told to drop the weapon, and he did so. Officer Coon then grabbed the man and pulled him out of his home and handcuffed him. He then conducted a protective sweep inside the home without meeting the requirements for one.
He was suspended for two days for demonstrating inefficiency, negligence, or incompetence in the performance of duties.
A spokesperson for Metro Police says Coon's last suspension was in 2013, and all use of force reports were well documented and reviewed by supervisors.
Police said Capps held his wife and stepdaughter at gunpoint for several hours. But according to arrest affidavits, a third person, the stepdaughter's boyfriend, was also in the home at the time. According to a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson, the boyfriend was an off-duty TBI police officer. He left the home before the two women reported their concerns to police.
TBI says it notified District Attorney General Glenn Funk of this information when it surfaced, and he requested the TBI continue investigating the case.
So far, Metro Police has only released one angle of body camera footage. We've asked for more video, but they pointed us to the TBI.
A TBI spokesperson said under state law, the agency won't release any other video until the investigation is complete.
