LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A former Louisville Metro Police officer was indicted Monday in the fatal shooting of an unarmed naked man.
Nathan Stotts is charged with manslaughter and reckless homicide in the death of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr. on Saturday, May 30.
LMPD Deputy Chief Ryan Bates said police responded just before 9:30 p.m. to the 3000 block of Cromarty Way after multiple calls related to an assault. Police said the caller told dispatch at least three people had been assaulted and requested EMS. Officers were then told that the suspect was running down the road without clothes on, police said.
Once at the scene, a witness told police where the suspect was. Bates said the officer, later identified as Stotts, found a naked man sitting in the street. He said Stotts told the suspect multiple times to show his hands. Then, the man stood up and began walking toward Stotts.
Police said Stotts told the suspect to stop, but he continued toward him. That's when Stotts shot the man, Bates said. Officers who arrived as backup rendered aid, but Nitzken died at the scene.
In a news release Monday, the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, which was reviewing the case for potential criminal charges, said a grand jury found "no true bill" on a count of murder in the shooting.
Stotts will be arraigned Monday, June 22, in Jefferson County Circuit Court.Â
Steve Romines, the attorney representing the Nitzken family, said he's glad to see the case moving forward.
"Police rarely face any accountability for killing someone," Romines said. "So, the fact that he's charged at all, yeah, that's a welcome change."
However, Romines said he was disappointed there was not a murder charge included in the indictment. He argued the body camera video shows what he called "the definition" of wanton murder.
"When you watch what happened on that video, and then you watched how he treated him after he shot him, that is extreme indifference to human life," Romines said.
Following the shooting, LMPD Chief Paul Humphrey began the termination process for Stotts. Days later, Stotts resigned. City officials said his resignation expedited the process of his termination.
Stotts was hired in February 2024 to LMPD's Sixth Division and had no prior disciplinary history.
"After reviewing the video, 911 calls, dispatch and other preliminary information, I've made the decision to begin the termination process of Nathan Stotts from the Louisville Metro Police Department," Humphrey said June 2. "The authority we are given as police officers come with high standards and demand we live to those standards. Upholding our standards is not a choice. It's a responsibility. When an officer does not meet those standards, I'm responsible for taking action, and that's what I've done today.
"... This is not an acceptable performance for us. This does not meet our training, it is not what we teach and it does not meet our values."
According to LMPD, the investigative findings will be provided to the Kentucky Law Enforcement Council, or KLEC, which will determine whether Stotts' officer certification will be revoked.
In a statement Monday after the charges were announced, LMPD said it "respects the judicial process" and the grand jury's decision.
"We remain committed to transparency, accountability, and cooperation with all reviewing agencies. Because this matter is the focus of criminal and internal investigations, it is inappropriate to comment further," the statement concluded.
Nitzken's family said the indictment is a step, but preventing another death will take changes beyond the courtroom.
"It is unimaginable, the grief," Romines said. "They are just getting through the day and dealing with it. They want to see change as a result of this so that Martin did not die in vain."
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