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The fatal shooting of a naked, unarmed man by a Louisville Metro Police officer is drawing intense scrutiny as investigators examine whether the use of deadly force was justified.
According to reporting by WHAS11, Louisville Metro Police Officer Nathan Stotts shot and killed 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr. on May 30 while responding to a domestic disturbance call in the city’s Klondike neighborhood.
The incident has quickly become one of the most controversial officer-involved shootings in Louisville this year.
Police Chief Paul Humphrey removed Stotts from his position just days after the shooting, a move legal observers say is unusual given the speed of the decision.
Stotts, assigned to LMPD’s Sixth Division, joined the department in February 2024 and reportedly had no disciplinary history prior to the incident.
Body Camera Footage Raises Questions
Recently released body camera footage shows Nitzken naked and unarmed during the encounter.
The footage has fueled debate about whether the situation should have been handled as a mental health crisis rather than a deadly force incident.
According to a 911 caller, Nitzken was bipolar and had allegedly assaulted his girlfriend and two friends before police arrived.
Criminal defense attorney Carl Price, who reviewed the footage, told WHAS11 that Nitzken’s condition should have immediately raised concerns about a possible mental health episode.
“He is a man that is naked in the street,” Price said. That is totally abnormal, so the first thing that should come to anybody’s mind, not just the police officer’s mind, is that there might be a mental episode happening here.
Price questioned whether officers adequately considered that possibility before the shooting.
Could Charges Follow?
The shooting remains under active criminal investigation.
Price told WHAS11 he expects both civil litigation and criminal charges to be considered.
According to Price, any potential criminal case would likely focus on allegations of reckless conduct and whether non-lethal options should have been explored before deadly force was used.
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Those opinions, however, represent only one legal perspective. Investigators have not announced any criminal charges, and authorities continue reviewing the circumstances surrounding the encounter.
As with all officer-involved shootings, prosecutors will ultimately determine whether the officer’s actions violated criminal law.
Another Officer-Involved Shooting Under the Microscope
The shooting of Martin Nitzken has also renewed attention on Louisville Metro Police Department’s use-of-force incidents.
According to WHAS11, LMPD has now released video from four deadly officer-involved shootings in 2026 alone.
That number is likely to intensify public scrutiny as the department continues to face questions about training, de-escalation tactics, and responses involving individuals experiencing mental health crises.
For now, investigators are working through the evidence while Nitzken’s family and the Louisville community await answers.
The central question remains unresolved:
When officers encountered an unarmed man in apparent distress, was deadly force the only option available?
That’s a question investigators (and potentially a jury) may eventually have to answer.
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is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
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