LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A former Louisville police officer who resigned last week was charged by a grand jury Monday with manslaughter for fatally shooting a naked man while responding to an alleged assault.
The grand jury in Louisville also indicted Nathan A. Stotts on a charge of reckless homicide for the May 30 fatal shooting of 27-year-old Martin Nitzken Jr.
Stotts encountered Nitzken after being called to a neighborhood on a report that three women had been assaulted, Louisville police said. Officers were told the suspect had no clothes on and was running down the street.
On Stotts’ body camera footage released by Louisville police, the officer can be seen with his gun drawn walking toward a nude man sitting in the street. The man gets up and starts moving toward Stotts, who orders him to stop. The man continues to advance and the officer fires one shot. The man drops to his knees and doesn’t move as the video ends.
Nitzken was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police Chief Paul Humphrey said at a news conference earlier this month that Nitzken was “naked, stumbling and unarmed.”
"Sometimes we have to make decisions to take people's lives, and this was not one of them," Humphrey said. He said he would have rather seen the officer use nonlethal force as the victim advanced toward him.
Humphrey signaled that he would fire Stotts after the body camera footage was released earlier this month, but Stotts resigned. He joined the force in 2024.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina Whethers said in a media release Monday that the grand jury declined to charge Stotts with murder.
The second-degree manslaughter charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five to 10 years and the reckless homicide charge has a maximum penalty of one to five years in prison.
An attorney for Stotts could not be located in court records Monday. Louisville police said Monday in a statement that they “remain committed to transparency, accountability, and cooperation with all reviewing agencies.”
“Because this matter is the focus of criminal and internal investigations, it is inappropriate to comment further,” the statement said.
Louisville's police department has worked to repair its image with the public in recent years after the controversies that followed the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in her apartment in 2020.
Earlier this year, a federal judge agreed to dismiss all charges against two former Louisville officers who helped craft the warrant that was used to enter Taylor's home before she was shot.
This photo released by the Louisville Metro Police in Kentucky shows former Louisville Metro Police officer Nathan A. Stotts in an official Louisville police portrait on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (Louisville Metro Police via AP)
Doubts over Neymar's debut at the World Cup continued Monday after the Brazil forward underwent new tests on his injured right leg.
There had been hope that Neymar could return to training on Monday, but the Santos player did not join his teammates and instead went to a clinic for the tests on his right calf. The Brazilian soccer confederation did not immediately reveal the results of the tests.
The 34-year-old Neymar, in his fourth World Cup, has been sidelined since getting injured with Santos in Brazil on May 17.
Brazil plays Haiti on Friday at Philadelphia. Neymar has yet to participate in any full training session since the five-time world champions began their World Cup preparations in Morristown, New Jersey.
Brazilian media said Brazil's medical staff was hoping to have him back fully fit for the knockout stages.
Neymar's potential return gained more significance after Brazil's disappointing 1-1 draw against Morocco in the teams' World Cup opener on Saturday.
Neymar still brought some star power to the game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. He was seen on the sidelines before kickoff saluting celebrities such as rapper Travis Scott and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
Brazil’s struggles in attack against Morocco immediately prompted calls for a more experienced playmaker like Neymar on the field.
There was widespread debate in Brazil over whether Neymar, whose first World Cup was in 2014 on home soil, should have been called up for the World Cup by new coach Carlo Ancelotti. Some believe the veteran could still help Brazil, but others say Neymar is past his prime and took a spot away from a younger player.
Three other players did not join the group and trained separately Monday to improve their fitness: Gabriel Magalhães, Bruno Guimarães and Raphinha.
Neymar and his partner, Bruna Biancardi, on Monday announced on social media that she is pregnant with their third daughter. The player has a teenage son from a previous relationship.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Brazil's Fabinho (17) and Neymar (10) after the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwanmura)
Brazil's Neymar looks on before the World Cup Group C soccer match against Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Brazil's Neymar, left, looks on before the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwanmura)
Brazil's Neymar (10) looks on before the World Cup Group C soccer match between Brazil and Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J., near New York, Saturday, June 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwanmura)
