Former Louisville police officer indicted for shooting unarmed naked man

A grand jury indicted former officer Nathan A. Stotts for reckless homicide after he fatally shot Martin Nitzken Jr., 27, who was unarmed and naked. Police Chief Paul Humphrey said deadly force was not warranted.

Former Louisville police officer indicted for shooting unarmed naked man

A grand jury in Louisville has indicted former police officer Nathan A. Stotts on a charge of reckless homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of Martin Nitzken Jr., a 27-year-old man who was unarmed and naked at the time of the incident on May 30, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

Officers had been dispatched to a neighborhood following reports that three women had been assaulted. Dispatchers told responding officers that the suspect was unclothed and running through the street.

Body camera footage released by Louisville police shows Stotts approaching the victim with his weapon drawn. The naked man is seen sitting on the pavement before standing up and moving toward the officer. Stotts orders him to stop, but the man continues advancing. The officer fires a single shot, and the man falls to his knees, remaining motionless as the recording ends.

Nitzken was pronounced dead at the scene.

During a press conference earlier this month, Police Chief Paul Humphrey described the victim as "naked, stumbling and unarmed." He stated that while officers sometimes must make life-or-death decisions, this was not one of those situations. Humphrey added that he would have preferred to see the officer use non-lethal force as the victim approached.

Source: Mediafax

Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)