Nathan Stotts, former LMPD officer, pleads not guilty in fatal shooting case

A former Louisville Metro Police Department officer, Nathan Stotts, has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges connected to the shooting of an unarmed man, according to reporting from WAVE. The charges include manslaughter and reckless homicide, and the plea keeps the case on track for further court proceedings rather than resolving it through an admission of guilt or a negotiated disposition.

WAVE reported that Stotts entered the not-guilty plea on June 22, 2026. The filing and plea mean prosecutors will continue to pursue their allegations that Stotts acted in a way that meets the legal thresholds for manslaughter and reckless homicide under Kentucky law, while the defense will contest the claims as the matter proceeds.

The case centers on the shooting of Martin Nitzken, whose death followed the encounter with Stotts. The reporting states that Stotts is the officer involved in the incident, tying the criminal charges to his actions during the encounter.

In connection with the officer-involved shooting, LMPD Police Chief Paul Humphrey publicly named Stotts as the involved officer and called for his termination, according to the image caption accompanying the WAVE report. That statement reflects the department’s position at the time, even as the criminal case moves through the judicial process.

While the criminal matter advances through court, the not-guilty plea preserves Stotts’s right to contest the prosecution’s account of the incident, including any questions about the circumstances leading up to the shooting and whether the conduct alleged by prosecutors satisfies the required elements of the charged offenses.

The next stages typically include pretrial conferences, motions, and potentially a trial unless the parties reach a different outcome. Until the case is resolved in court, the allegations remain contested, and no final determination has been made regarding Stotts’s criminal responsibility.