A British woman was shot dead earlier in the day while visiting her father’s home in Texas with whom she had argued over US President Donald Trump, an inquest has heard.
Lucy Harrison, from Warrington, Cheshire, was shot in the chest on January 10, 2025, in Prosper, near Dallas.
The town’s police are investigating the 23-year-old’s death as possible manslaughter, but no criminal charges have been filed against Chris Harrison after a Collin County grand jury declined to indict him.
An earlier inquest into the death of Lucy Harrison at Cheshire Coroner’s Court saw her boyfriend Sam Littler describe a “big debate” over Trump, who was preparing to take office for a second term.
Littler, who went on holiday to the United States with Lucy Harrison, said she often felt uncomfortable with her father when he talked about owning guns.
The inquest also heard about Kris Harrison, who moved to the US when his daughter was a child and had previously been in rehab for alcohol addiction.
Chris Harrison, who did not attend the trial, admitted in a statement to the court that he had relapsed on the day of the shooting and drank about 500 milliliters of white wine.
Littler said his partner asked her father during an argument with Trump on the morning of Jan. 10: “How would you feel if I were the girl in that situation and I was sexually assaulted?”
Chris Harrison replied that he had two other daughters living with him, so it wouldn’t make him too upset.
Littler said Lucy became “very upset” and ran upstairs.
10 days after Lucy Harrison’s death, Donald Trump begins his second term as president [Reuters]
He told the court that later that day, about half an hour before they left for the airport, Lucy was in the kitchen when her father took her hand and led her into a first-floor bedroom.
Littler said about 15 seconds later he heard a loud bang and then Kris Harrison screaming for his wife, Heather.
“I remember running into the room and Lucy was lying on the floor near the bathroom entrance and Chris was just screaming and gibbering,” Littler said.
Chris Harrison’s statement said he and his daughter were watching a news report about gun crime when he told her he had a gun and asked her if she wanted to see it.
They went into the bedroom so he could show her a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which he kept in his bedside table.
Harrison said he bought the gun several years ago because he wanted to give his family a “security.”
He denied having previously discussed the issue with his daughter.
He said: “As I raised the gun to show it to her, there was a loud bang. I didn’t understand what was happening. Lucy immediately fell down.”
Harrison said he couldn’t remember if his finger was on the trigger.
He admitted he had a drinking problem in the past and said he “briefly lost control” on the day of his daughter’s death because he was emotionally overwhelmed by her departure.
During the trial, Officer Luciana Escalera read testimony that he noticed the smell of alcohol on Harrison’s breath when he was called to the home after the shooting.
CCTV footage shows he purchased two 500ml cases of Chardonnay wine from a 7-Eleven shortly before 13:00 CST (05:00 GMT) that day.
“The power of life”
Anna Samuel, representing Chris Harrison, made an application to coroner Jacqueline Devenish at the start of the hearing asking her to recuse herself from the case, saying an impartial observer might conclude there was “a real possibility of bias on her part”.
She said the investigation was conducted “more like a criminal investigation than a fact-finding investigation.”
Lois Norris, representing Lucy Harrison’s mother Jane Coates, said the application was “an ambush by Mr Harrison’s legal team”.
She said Chris Harrison was “the person in the room who shot Ms. Harrison” and the only person in the room at the time of the incident.
Devenish rejected his request to recuse himself.
In a statement released by his attorney, Chris Harrison said he “fully accepts” the consequences of his actions.
“I feel the weight of this loss every day and it’s a weight I will carry for the rest of my life,” he said.
Coates said her daughter, a former buyer for fashion brand Boohoo, was a “real force in life”.
“She cared. She was passionate about things. She loved debating things that meant a lot to her,” she said.
The inquest was postponed until Wednesday, when the coroner is expected to deliver his conclusions.
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