Police released video evidence on Tuesday showing what they said was NFL hopeful Kyren Lacy causing a deadly crash on a Louisiana highway last year, as the late athlete's attorney and state officials raised questions about the investigation.
Lacy, who played for Louisiana State University before declaring for the draft in 2024, was arrested in January for negligent homicide in connection with a deadly crash that occurred weeks before in Lafourche Parish. Days before a grand jury was set to hear the case in April, he died by suicide, officials said.
State police alleged Lacy was "recklessly" driving a 2023 Dodge Charger when his actions led to a collision between two vehicles on Dec. 17, 2024. A 78-year-old man who was a passenger in one of the vehicles died, police said.
Police released surveillance footage Tuesday from a nearby gas station they said shows Lacy illegally passing four vehicles at a high rate of speed in a no-passing zone on Louisiana Highway 20 and then "aggressively brake" and reenter his southbound lane moments before the crash is heard. Another view shows the crash, and the Charger then drive past the crash site, according to police.
A green Charger driven by Kyren Lacy is seen before police say he illegally passed other vehicles in a still from footage released by the Louisiana State Police.
Louisiana State Police
Police said the driver of a gold pickup truck traveling north abruptly braked and swerved right to avoid a head-on collision with the Dodge Charger. The driver of a Kia Cadenza traveling behind the truck saw the approaching Charger and "in reaction" swerved left into the southbound lane and collided with a Kia Sorento, police said.
Troopers determined the driver of the gold truck "reacted appropriately to avoid a head-on collision with the green Charger, which was approaching at a high rate of speed," and that the reaction time of the involved drivers was "greatly diminished" due to the speed of the Charger, police said in a video.
The driver of the Kia Cadenza was issued a citation for following too close, which was later amended to driving left of center, police said.
A passenger in the Kia Sorento, identified by police as 78-year-old Herman Hall of Thibodaux, died from his injuries after being transported to a hospital, authorities said.
Police said that while the Charger did not impact any of the vehicles, "all evidence collected supports the conclusion that Lacy's reckless operation of the green Charger in oncoming traffic triggered the chain of events involving the other drivers, ultimately resulting in the fatal crash."
In addition to the surveillance footage, state police released body camera footage of a trooper talking to witnesses following the crash, one of whom said the "green Charger caused all this."
Police said Lacy failed to stop, and that fewer than 10 minutes after the crash occurred, "evidence supports that Lacy's first outgoing phone call was to a Baton Rouge area personal injury and defense attorney."
Lacy was arrested on Jan. 12. In addition to negligent homicide, Lacy was arrested on felony hit and run and reckless operation of a vehicle charges, police said.
"LSP relied on proven methods from forensic analysis, crash reconstructions, and comprehensive evidence review to uncover the full truth," police said in a press release Tuesday. "While we recognize that external narratives may arise, often based on selective information, we urge the public to rely on the full body of facts."
In this March 25, 2025, file photo, Kyren Lacy of the LSU Tigers is shown during the 2025 NFL Pro Day photo shoot at the LSU Football Operations Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Ella Hall/LSU/University Images via Getty Images, FILE
The footage release comes after Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, maintained Lacy's innocence in an interview with Houma station HTV 10 last week.
"He had no idea he caused this accident because he didn't think he caused the accident. He didn't cause the accident," Ory told HTV 10 in the interview, which aired footage of the crash the Lafourche Parish-based attorney said showed Lacy was traveling in his proper lane when the crash occurred 92.3 yards away from him.
The station also showed body-camera footage that Ory said showed a trooper getting a statement from the driver of the gold truck days later at the driver's home. In the video, the trooper can be heard telling the man to "make sure you add in there that you had to slam on your brakes" to avoid the Charger.
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"That's very important because we're trying to locate that Charger right now," the trooper says in the video.
State police said in their video Tuesday that the trooper made contact with the driver at a later date "to obtain an official written statement based on previous conversations."
On Monday, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus called for a "formal investigation" into the Louisiana State Police's handling of the incident, stating in a letter to Louisiana State Rep. Phillip DeVillier, "The recent developments surrounding this case have raised troubling questions about the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the Louisiana State Police."
The Louisiana Democratic Party also called on Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill to "immediately launch a full-scale, independent investigation into the wrongful accusations made against Mr. Lacy."
Murrill responded Tuesday that the "evidence is not disputed here."
"The Lafourche Parish District Attorney's Office was prepared to present the case to a grand jury that showed Kyren Lacy returning to his lane. However, that does not absolve Kyren Lacy of responsibility in this matter," Murrill said in a statement. "Every witness identified the green charger Kyren Lacy was determined to be driving, as having put the events in motion that led to the head-on collision, which killed 78-year-old veteran Herman Hall."
The Lafourche Parish District Attorney's Office was "appropriately" bringing the matter to a grand jury to review the case and decide whether to indict Lacy on any charges, Murrill said.
"I'm continuing to review the entire file from State Police and will release a more detailed statement at the conclusion of that review," she said.
In this Nov. 30, 2024, file photo, Kyren Lacy of the LSU Tigers is shown in action against the Oklahoma Sooners during a game at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images, FILE
Lacy died days before the grand jury was set to take up his case.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, a deputy attempted to make a stop on Lacy's vehicle on April 12 following a "weapons disturbance call" at a home where authorities said he discharged a firearm into the ground during a "verbal argument" with a family member.
Police pursued Lacy's vehicle for several miles before he crashed, the sheriff's office said. He was found in the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said. His death was ruled a suicide.
Lacy, 24, of Thibodaux, was a wide receiver for the LSU Tigers. Two days after the crash, on Dec. 19, he announced he would be declaring for the 2025 NFL draft.
LSU football head coach Brian Kelly reacted to the case during a presser on Monday, saying, "Let's just be patient and make sure that all the information gets out."
"I think I said back when this occurred that, let's wait until all the information comes out, because for us to make these universal statements early on, it just doesn't serve anybody well," he said. "I don't have any facts here. I'm following it just like you guys are."
Kelly added that Lacy is "loved by us."
"He was a great teammate, and he’s going to be missed," Kelly said.
If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or worried about a friend or loved one, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free, confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.