A former Louisville police officer who resigned last week has been indicted on second-degree manslaughter and reckless homicide charges for fatally shooting an unarmed, naked man — a case that has reignited fierce debate over police accountability and the use of deadly force in Kentucky. The Jefferson County grand jury returned the indictment against Nathan A. Stotts on Monday for the May 30 shooting death of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr. The grand jury declined to charge Stotts with murder, finding insufficient evidence to support the more serious charge.
Stotts, who joined the Louisville Metro Police Department in February 2024, encountered Nitzken after responding to a 911 call reporting that three women had been assaulted. Officers were told the suspect had no clothes on and was running down the street. According to the victim's girlfriend, who made the call, Nitzken was bipolar but had never been violent before. He had ripped a shutter from a neighboring house and injured a neighbor who had tried to calm him.
Body Camera Footage Shows Fatal Encounter
Body camera footage released by Louisville police shows Stotts approaching Nitzken with his gun drawn as the man sat naked in the street. Nitzken complied with orders to show his hands before standing up and walking toward the officer. Stotts ordered him to stop. When Nitzken continued to advance, Stotts fired a single shot. Nitzken dropped to his knees and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police Chief Paul Humphrey, speaking at a news conference earlier this month, said Nitzken was 'naked, stumbling and unarmed'. 'Sometimes we have to make decisions to take people's lives, and this was not one of them,' Humphrey said. He said he would have rather seen the officer use nonlethal force as Nitzken advanced toward him. Humphrey signaled that he would fire Stotts after reviewing the body camera footage, but Stotts resigned before termination could be carried out.
Charges and Potential Penalties
The second-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five to 10 years, while the reckless homicide charge carries a maximum penalty of one to five years in prison. Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina Whethers confirmed that the grand jury declined to indict Stotts on a murder charge. Stotts is scheduled to be arraigned in Jefferson County Circuit Court. An attorney for Stotts could not be located in court records.
Stotts had received seven commendations during his brief tenure and had not been previously disciplined, according to the agency. A representative for the union representing Louisville officers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Department's Response and Broader Context
Louisville police issued a statement saying they '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 said.
The shooting comes as Louisville's police department continues to grapple with a legacy of controversy following the 2020 fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in her apartment. Earlier this year, a federal judge dismissed all charges against two former Louisville officers who helped craft the warrant used to enter Taylor's home. The department entered into a consent decree in 2024 after a Justice Department investigation found that police had used excessive force, discriminated against Black people and failed to respond appropriately to people with mental health issues. However, the Trump administration pulled back on such oversight and scrapped the consent decree in 2025. The city pledged to carry on with reforms, though those efforts took a hit in March when police fatally shot Katelyn Hall, a 28-year-old woman who had been threatening to kill herself.
Civil rights advocates and community leaders have seized on the indictment as a rare instance of police accountability, while also calling for systemic reforms to prevent similar tragedies. The case has renewed scrutiny of how law enforcement officers are trained to respond to individuals experiencing mental health crises, and whether nonlethal de-escalation tactics are being adequately prioritized over deadly force.
