Nathan Stotts was charged with manslaughter and reckless homicide in the May death of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/nathan-stotts-scene-061626-223ed9ea7f004337a7578db4621e4fe3.jpg "Nathan A. Stotts, Former LMPD officer indicted by grand jury for shooting unarmed, naked man")
NEED TO KNOW
- Nathan Stotts was indicted on second-degree manslaughter and reckless homicide charges in the death of Martin Nitzken Jr.
- The grand jury declined to indict the former Louisville officer on a murder charge, according to the AP and local outlets
- Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey previously said the shooting did not justify deadly force and moved to terminate Stotts before he resigned
A former Kentucky police officer has been indicted on manslaughter and reckless homicide charges in the fatal shooting of an unarmed, naked Louisville man, weeks after the city’s police chief said the officer should not have used deadly force.
A Jefferson County grand jury indicted Nathan Stotts on one count of second-degree manslaughter and one count of reckless homicide in connection with the May 30 death of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr. Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show Stotts is scheduled to be arraigned June 22 in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
The Associated Press, WAVE, WDRB and WLKY reported that the grand jury declined to indict Stotts on a murder charge.
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The shooting occurred after Louisville Metro Police Department officers responded to reports of an assault on the city’s south side. Police alleged Nitzken had assaulted three women before leaving the area without clothes on.
Body-camera footage released by LMPD and reviewed by PEOPLE shows Stotts approaching Nitzken, who was naked and unarmed, while holding his service weapon. Nitzken, who had been sitting in the roadway, then stood up and began moving toward the officer as Stotts repeatedly ordered him to stop.
When Nitzken continued walking in his direction, Stotts fired a single shot. Nitzken died at the scene.
Credit: Louisville Metro Police via AP
Following the shooting, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey announced that he had begun the process of terminating Stotts after reviewing the body-camera footage, 911 calls, dispatch records and other preliminary information.
“Sometimes we have to make decisions to take people’s lives, and this was not one of them,” Humphrey said during a June 2 news conference, describing Nitzken as “naked, stumbling and unarmed.”
Humphrey said he would have preferred to see nonlethal force used instead.
Stotts resigned from the department before the termination process was completed. He joined LMPD in 2024, according to the AP.
In a statement released after the indictment, LMPD said it “respects the judicial process and the Grand Jury’s decision.”
Steven Romines, an attorney representing Nitzken’s family, welcomed the indictment but said he believes the evidence supported a murder charge.
“Police rarely face any accountability for killing someone,” Romines told WAVE, WDRB and WLKY. “So, the fact that he’s charged at all, yeah, that’s a welcome change.”
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Romines said he believes the body-camera footage shows what he described as “extreme indifference to human life.”
Under Kentucky law, second-degree manslaughter carries a potential sentence of five to 10 years in prison, while reckless homicide is punishable by one to five years behind bars.
Stotts is due in court for his arraignment on June 22, court records show. It's not clear if he has retained an attorney.