LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Police Department released body camera footage showing a fatal shooting of an unarmed naked man by an officer who may soon be terminated over the incident, Chief Paul L. Humphrey stated.
The May 30 incident began when the man was with his girlfriend and two female friends, said Deputy Chief Col. Emily McKinley, who broke down the body camera footage. The four were watching a basketball game when the man “became agitated and upset for unknown reasons.”
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He then began to assault his girlfriend. When her friends tried to intervene, he assaulted them as well. All sustained minor injuries before fleeing the home and calling 911 from a neighbor’s residence.
The man then stripped naked and began roaming around the neighborhood. When one neighbor tried to engage with and calm the man, an altercation ensued, and the neighbor was injured.
Aerial footage from before officers arrive on the scene shows the man holding a prone position on the ground, but raised to his hands and feet.
Officer Nathan Stotts was the first LMPD officer to arrive on the scene, body camera video shows.
Witnesses point Stotts toward the suspect, who was still holding a “plank” position on the street.
Stotts can be heard repeatedly instructing the man to show his hands.
After raising one hand but failing to show the other, the man got up and began to walk toward Stotts. The man stumbled as he continued to move toward Stotts.
Stotts issued commands for the man to stop, but he continued moving down the street. He can be seen flailing his arms and pointing at Stotts with both hands, one after another.
Stotts then fired a single shot, striking the man.
The incident is under criminal and administrative investigation, McKinley stated.
Humphrey stated that Stotts was hired in 2024 and did not have any disciplinary history.
“After reviewing ... preliminary information, I have made the decision to begin the termination process of Nathan Stotts from the Louisville Metro Police Department,” Humphrey said. “The authority that we are given as police officers comes with high standards, and demands that we live to those standards. Upholding our standards is not a choice; it’s a responsibility. When an officer does not meet those standards, I am responsible for taking action ... this is not an acceptable performance for us. It does not meet our training, it is not what we teach, it does not meet our values.”
