LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A former Louisville police officer was arraigned in court Monday morning one week after he was indicted in the fatal shooting of an unarmed naked man last month.
Nathan Stotts, 25, pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter and reckless homicide in the death of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr. on Saturday, May 30. Judge Eric Haner set his bond at $10,000 cash.
According to online jail records, Stotts was booked into Metro Corrections not long after his arraignment and has since posted bond. He's scheduled to be released sometime Monday afternoon.
The shooting happened just before 9:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Cromarty Way after multiple calls related to an assault, Louisville Metro Police Deputy Chief Ryan Bates said at the time.
Police said the caller told dispatch at least three people had been assaulted and requested EMS. Officers were then told 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.
Stotts was indicted last Monday, June 15. In a news release, 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.
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.
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