LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey said Tuesday that he will fire the officer who shot and killed a naked man Saturday night.
Humphrey said Officer Nathan Stotts shot and killed 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr., who he said was unarmed. 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. "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."
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg commended Humphrey on his decision to fire Stotts and said police "must take action when (its) standards are not met." He said a criminal investigation into the shooting by Stotts is underway.
"With every incident, there's learning that can happen," Greenberg said. "The investigation into this matter is still very much underway. Just like every incident, my hope is that there will be greater learnings."
Louisville Metro Police Officer Nathan Stotts, who shot and killed a 27-year-old man on May 30, 2026. (Source: LMPD)
LMPD Deputy Chief Ryan Bates said Saturday that 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 found a naked man sitting in the street. He said the officer told the suspect multiple times to show his hands. Then, the man stood up and began walking toward the officer.
Police said the officer told the suspect to stop, but he continued toward him. That's when the officer shot the man, Bates said.
Officers who arrived as backup rendered aid but Nitzken died at the scene.
In the released 911 call, a woman told dispatch she had been dating Nitzken for a while and knew he was bipolar but hadn't even shown signs of aggression.
But that night they were watching a basketball game with her two friends when he suddenly attacked her, she told dispatch. He attacked her friends when they tried helping her, police said. They then ran to a neighbor's home for help.
Nitzken's girlfriend told dispatch she was punched in the face and that her friend had "chunks of her hair torn out." In the 911 call, dispatch asked if anyone had any type of substance that night and Nitzken's girlfriend said he "didn't have anything."
Police said Nitzken ran out in the street, took his clothes off and tore off a shutter from the home. A neighbor tried to confront Nitzken, but his shoulder got dislocated in an altercation.
The body camera footage shows Stotts arrive on scene and begin running down the street looking for the suspect. Nearby residents pointed out Nitzken to Stotts and said that's who he was looking for.
In the footage, Stotts demands Nitzken to show his hands multiple times and to stop walking toward him. Nitzken continued walking toward Stotts with nothing in his hands before being shot by Stotts, the footage shows.
Stotts continued to point his gun toward Nitzken, demanding him to lay flat on the ground after shooting him. The footage shows there was over three minutes between Stotts shooting Nitzken and aid being rendered once backup officers arrived.
"While I made the decision to begin the termination process of Officer Stotts quickly, I did so only after careful consideration," Humphrey said. "This job with it carries a heavy responsibility that we have to live up to. That is not what happened on this day."
Humphrey said he would've liked to have seen something rather than deadly force being used, which is what lead to his decision to begin the termination process. According to Humphrey, the reason a third-party wasn't included on the run like for mental health, was because it needed a police response and was relayed as an assault call.
"Clearly, his actions overall did not meet our standards," Humphrey said. "... This was not the right action. You see officers every day who encounter extremely dangerous situations and you don't see this. Our officers every day make tough decisions that don't result in this. Sometimes, we have to make decisions to take people's lives, and this was not one of them."
An officer can't just be fired. The chief must notify the officer that he intends to fire him.
Then, that officer has the option of a pretermination hearing, where they can explain any mitigating factors and ultimately try to change the chief's mind for a lesser punishment.
If the termination holds, the officer can appeal to the police merit board, which can go to a hearing that is much like a trial on policy.
The board then examines what rules were allegedly broken and determines if the punishment was justified.
If the firing is upheld, the last appeal is in the court system.
The full presser can be viewed below:
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