Former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy has died at the age of 24, an LSU official confirmed to CBS Sports on Sunday. According to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Houston, Texas, police were originally called to investigate a disturbance involving Lacy where he allegedly discharged a weapon into the ground during an argument with a family member. Lacy was not on scene when police arrived, but they were able to track down his vehicle which led to a chase across several miles.
The car Lacy was driving eventually crashed, but when police approached the vehicle and attempted to make an arrest, they discovered that Lacy had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“We’re saddened to learn of the tragic passing of former LSU Football student-athlete Kyren Lacy,” an LSU spokesperson said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, as well as his former teammates and coaches impacted by his passing.”
Once considered a potential high NFL Draft pick, Lacy was arrested in January and charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run with death and reckless operation of a vehicle. The charges stemmed from a Dec. 17 crash that killed a 78-year old man and injured two others.
“As Lacy was illegally passing the other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge,” a Louisiana State Police news release read. “Traveling behind the pickup was a 2017 Kia Cadenza whose driver swerved left to avoid the oncoming Dodge Charger. As the Kia Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with the Dodge, it crossed the centerline and collided head-on with a southbound 2017 Kia Sorento.”
Following the accident, police said Lacy drove around the crash scene and fled without stopping to offer help or call emergency services.
A grand jury was set to hear evidence on the negligent homicide case on Monday. Matthew Ory, Lacy’s lawyer, issued a statement following Lacy’s death saying, in part, his client was “crushed under the weight of an irresponsible and prejudiced process.” Ory is asking for a “full and transparent review of how this investigation was conducted and why.”
“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,” Ory said in a statement to WAFB. “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.”
Lacy spent two seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette before transferring to LSU where he was the Tigers’ leading receiver in 2024. He finished his career with 162 catches for 2,360 yards and 26 touchdowns.