Former Louisville Officer Nathan Stotts Indicted on 2 Charges in Fatal Shooting of Unarmed 27-Year-Old
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 16
Former Louisville Officer Nathan Stotts Indicted on 2 Charges in Fatal Shooting of Unarmed 27-Year-Old
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 16
Summary
A Jefferson County grand jury charged Nathan Stotts with second-degree manslaughter and reckless homicide over the May shooting death of Martin Nitzken Jr., 27, but declined to indict him for murder.
Body-camera video released this month showed Stotts approaching Nitzken—naked and unarmed—with his gun drawn, then firing one shot after Nitzken stood up, showed his hands and kept walking toward him.
Stotts resigned last week after Louisville Police Chief Paul Humphrey said he would move to fire him, calling the officer’s conduct inconsistent with department training and values.
The case adds to pressure on Louisville police, which has faced years of scrutiny after Breonna Taylor’s 2020 killing and the rollback in 2025 of a federal consent decree tied to excessive force and mental-health response failures.
Is indicting one officer for manslaughter enough to fix a city's broken crisis response system?
With federal oversight gone, can Louisville's own police reform plan prevent the next tragedy?
Louisville Police Shootings Highlight Systemic Failures in Mental Health Crisis Response: Calls for Co-Responder Model After Indictment of Officer Nathan Stotts
Overview
The indictment of former officer Nathan Stotts marks a major step in the ongoing legal process following the fatal shooting of Martin Nitzken Jr. While the Louisville police department has pledged transparency and accountability, it is withholding further comment due to ongoing criminal and internal investigations. For Nitzken’s family, the indictment is only the beginning—they hope for broader systemic changes to prevent future tragedies. These developments come amid heightened scrutiny of the Louisville police, reflecting both the immediate aftermath of the incident and the community’s call for meaningful reform.