UK Mother Questions Texas Police Handling of Daughter's Fatal Shooting

Jane Coates, the mother of a 23-year-old woman fatally shot by her father in Texas, said local police disregarded physical evidence and did not pursue charges in the case. Lucy Harrison was killed by a single gunshot wound to the heart on January 10, 2025, while visiting her father, Kris Harrison, at his home in Prosper, Texas.

She lived with her mother in Warrington, England, and had been preparing to fly back to the UK when the shooting occurred. Kris Harrison, 52, told police he had been showing her his Glock 9mm handgun when it discharged accidentally. Coates told Sky News on Friday that she remains frustrated by the decision not to bring charges despite what she described as clear physical evidence.

She said an autopsy showed Lucy was shot through the heart at a downward trajectory. Investigators created a diagram of the bedroom that included the gun's position, the location of the spent casing, blood stains and where both Lucy and the casing landed.

"It's incredibly frustrating because there was physical evidence there, that there was an autopsy that said Lucy was shot through the heart at a downward trajectory," Coates said. Kris Harrison told police he is an alcoholic who had relapsed and consumed a 17-ounce carton of white wine in the hours before the shooting.

He said he could not recall whether his finger was on the trigger. Littler said they frequently clashed over Harrison's conservative views and that Lucy had opposed his purchase of the handgun several years earlier. The argument reportedly began after Lucy posed a hypothetical question about sexual assault.

Littler told officials that Harrison responded it would not upset him greatly because he had two other daughters living with him.

Texas officials initially investigated the case as possible manslaughter but ultimately brought no criminal charges. A grand jury ruled the death accidental last June. " Coates said she was grateful the UK coroner examined all available material. "I feel anger that the police actually took the time to draw this diagram, to see the measurements, to see where Lucy fell in relation to where the shell casing was," Coates added.

" Coates said the diagram showed Lucy had been farther from her father than he reported to police. She described her response as a "steely determination to call this out and to make sure the truth is heard" rather than outward rage. Lucy Harrison died from a gunshot wound to the heart on January 10, 2025, in Prosper, Texas.