BATON ROUGE — Louisiana State Police on Tuesday morning released an incident crash report video connected to a December 2024 fatal crash involving former LSU student-athlete Kyren Lacy.
The release comes after the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus called for a formal investigation into how LSP handled Lacy’s case.
The crash happened on LA 20 in Lafourche Parish. One person died in that crash.
What the new video shows
The incident report video released by LSP includes surveillance footage, body camera clips, maps, and other evidence used in the investigation.
According to LSP, Lacy was driving a green Dodge Charger, passing vehicles illegally and traveling at a high rate of speed in a no-passing zone along LA 20 in Lafourche Parish, where the speed limit is 40 mph.
Troopers said that to avoid a head-on collision with Lacy’s vehicle, a gold truck swerved right and a Kia Cadenza swerved left, striking a northbound Kia Sorrento. The driver of the Sorrento, 78-year-old Herman Hall of Thibodaux, was killed.
“Through the investigation, Troopers determined that 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,” LSP said in the video. “In consideration of the high speed of the green Charger compared to the surrounding and opposing vehicles, the reaction time of the involved drivers was greatly diminished.”
LSP stressed that Lacy’s vehicle did not make contact with other vehicles but that his “reckless operation” in oncoming traffic “triggered the chain of events” that led to the fatal crash.
Eyewitness accounts from the scene
In the body camera footage included in the report video, a state trooper is seen walking up to the crash site as multiple witnesses speak to him. One person asks, “Did you see a green Charger flying that way?” Another witness quickly adds, “The green Charger caused all this.”
Troopers can also be heard questioning an 18-wheeler driver and an injured woman as they worked to piece together what happened.
According to LSP, the agency reviewed 21 surveillance cameras along LA 20 to reconstruct the Charger’s movements leading up to the crash, which occurred in a designated no-passing zone.
Timeline of the investigation
The crash happened on Dec. 17, 2024. Two days later, investigators identified the Charger’s license plate, and by Dec. 26, they determined Lacy was the driver.
LSP contacted the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office on Jan. 2, 2025, and a warrant for Lacy’s arrest was issued Jan. 8.
Lacy turned himself in and was booked on charges of felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle. He was released less than two hours later on a $151,000 bond.
His case was scheduled to go before a grand jury on April 14, 2025.
Lacy’s death in Houston
One day before the grand jury hearing, Lacy died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following a police chase in Houston, Texas.
Deputies with the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office responded to an argument at an apartment complex, where Lacy reportedly fled in his vehicle. A deputy spotted him around 11:35 p.m., and a pursuit followed. The chase ended when Lacy crashed his vehicle near the 25,900 block of Aldine Westfield Road.
When deputies approached, they found Lacy with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, issued a statement calling the investigation “an overzealous, targeted effort” and “a witch hunt fueled by who Kyren was and the public profile he carried.” He also noted that the Lafourche Parish District Attorney had not formally charged Lacy at the time of his death.
“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic passing of Kyren Lacy. First and foremost, we ask that the public and the media give his family the space and time they need to grieve this unimaginable loss in peace.
“From the very beginning, this so-called investigation took on the appearance of an overzealous, targeted effort—what can only be described as a witch hunt—fueled by who Kyren was and the public profile he carried. The decision by the investigating agency to charge him at all, in our view, was not only unjustified, it was disturbing. It’s imperative to understand the Lafourche Parish District Attorney, to this day, has not formally charged Kyren.”
Calls for investigation into Louisiana State Police
Following the circulation of new video evidence on social media, the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus on Monday requested a full investigation into LSP’s handling of the case.
Chairman Edmond Jordan urged House Speaker Phillip DeVillier to form an investigative committee for a public inquiry.
“The allegations and procedural inconsistencies that have emerged point to potential failures that warrant the immediate attention of the Legislature. The people of Louisiana must be able to trust that law enforcement agencies operate within the highest standards of justice and fairness. Whenever that trust is
compromised, the Legislature has both the authority and the obligation to act,” the caucus said in a letter.
In addition, the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP is calling for the immediate resignation of State Police Colonel Robert Hodges after State Police’s “public attempt to justify the actions surrounding the death of Kyren Lacy.”
State Police defend their investigation
LSP said it conducted a detailed investigation “with the assistance of crash reconstruction experts and with all available information at the time.”
“No one disputes that he was behind the crash scene,” LSP said. “His swerving, passing cars, and reckless operation caused the series of crash events.”
Troopers added that the driver of the Kia Cadenza was initially cited for following too closely, but that citation was later amended to driving left of center.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said her office is reviewing the case. “I have been in touch with Louisiana State Police about independently reviewing all the witness statements and evidence in this case,” she said.
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