An LSU student was arrested by state police after allegedly threatening to kill Gov. Jeff Landry on social media in response to his decision to bring a live tiger to LSU football’s game against Alabama.
Police documents read that 21-year-old Jackson Pemberton was charged with threatening a public official on Tuesday after posting, “I am going to kill you @JeffLandry,” on their X account (formerly Twitter), @2jas2furious.
Pemberton told police the post was meant as a joke, expressing frustration over the live tiger on the sidelines, and clarified they had no intent to harm the governor.
The tiger was paraded in Tiger Stadium’s pregame show of this past weekend’s LSU-Alabama matchup after a months-campaign spearheaded by Landry to get a live tiger on the field.
The university discontinued the tradition of parading its live mascot, Mike the Tiger, in 2015. The tiger that was showcased on Saturday was brought in from Florida and is named Omar Bradley.
Pemberton has been booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. In Louisiana, the threating of a public official is punishable by six months in prison or a fine of $500.
In a statement, an LSU spokesperson said, “LSU is aware of the arrest of a student by Louisiana State Police following allegations of a social media post threatening Governor Jeff Landry. We take any behavior that threatens the safety of individuals or our community very seriously. LSU is committed to a respectful, responsible, and safe environment for all.”
LSU’s directory does not list a Jackson Pemberton as an enrolled student. It does list a student under the name of Jasmine Pemberton, who’s enrolled as an English major. The social media account named in police documents, which has 512 followers, has the name “Jas,” 21 years old and using she/her pronouns posted in the bio.
Staff writers John Buzbee and Colin Falcon contributed reporting to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back later for more details.