Coroner Condemns Father's 'Exceptionally Bad' Actions in Daughter's Fatal Shooting
A father described as having a "jokey nature" fatally shot his daughter after pointing a gun directly at her chest in what a coroner has slammed as "truly, exceptionally bad" behavior. The inquest into the death of 23-year-old Lucy Harrison heard harrowing details of the incident that occurred at her father's home in Prosper, Texas, on January 10, 2025.
Holiday Tragedy Unfolds
Lucy Harrison was visiting her father's American home with her boyfriend Sam Littler during the holiday season. The couple had celebrated Christmas with family in Warrington before traveling to Texas on December 28, 2024. According to evidence presented at Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington, the tragedy unfolded shortly before Kris Harrison was due to drive the couple to the airport.
Sam Littler told the inquest that he heard a loud bang approximately 15 seconds after Lucy followed her father into his bedroom. Mr. Harrison immediately began shouting for his wife Heather, prompting Sam, a neighbor, Heather, and her two daughters to rush to the downstairs bedroom where they discovered Lucy on the floor with a gunshot wound to her chest.
Alcohol Consumption and Secret Drinking
Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish described Kris Harrison as a "functioning alcoholic" who had been drinking continuously on the day of the shooting. Evidence revealed that Mr. Harrison had consumed at least 500ml of chardonnay from a carton before the incident and had visited a 7-Eleven store under the pretense of collecting cookies while actually continuing to drink.
"He was a secret drinker having left home to collect cookies and insisting he should go out alone," stated Coroner Devonish. "It was irresponsible of him to plan to drive Lucy and Sam to the airport that afternoon, in the circumstances."
The coroner noted that despite his continuous drinking throughout the day, no family members suspected he had been consuming alcohol as he spent most of his time outside in the snow away from close proximity to others.
Reckless Handling of Firearm
The inquest heard that Mr. Harrison had retrieved a 9mm semi-automatic Glock handgun from a box in his bedside cabinet. While he claimed not to have loaded the magazine and stated he didn't know the gun was loaded, Coroner Devonish rejected the suggestion that the weapon "just went off" during removal from the box.
"To shoot her through the chest whilst she was standing would have required him to have been pointing the gun at his daughter without checking for bullets and pulled the trigger," the coroner stated. "I find this action to be reckless."
Coroner Devonish emphasized that the room layout and location where Lucy's body was found contradicted claims of accidental discharge, noting that the gun would have needed to be pointed directly at her across the room.
Unlawful Killing Ruling
The coroner ruled that Lucy Harrison died as a result of unlawful killing on grounds of gross negligence manslaughter. She stated that pointing a gun at someone's chest and pulling the trigger "must meet the threshold of being 'gross'" and represented "a reasonably foreseeable and obvious risk of death."
"He had a personal and moral responsibility to ensure he could use/keep the gun safely in his home to protect his family," Coroner Devonish declared. "On his own evidence he took no steps to even familiarise himself with the weapon to enable him to check whether it was safe."
The coroner added that while Mr. Harrison's alcohol use aggravated the "grossness of his actions," his status as a functioning alcoholic did not provide an excuse for the circumstances that led to his daughter's death.
Family Criticism of Investigation
In a statement read during the inquest, Lucy's mother Jane Coates criticized the standard of the investigation conducted by US authorities. "It is mine and Sam's strongly held view that the US investigation led by the Prosper Police Department lacked the rigour and scrutiny you'd expect if this had happened in the UK," she stated.
Ms. Coates expressed concern that Texas gun laws and decisions made by Prosper police had "failed Lucy," though she extended thanks to first responders and medical staff at Baylor Medical Center who attempted to save her daughter's life.
A grand jury reviewed the evidence in June 2025 and concluded with a 'no bill' decision, meaning no prosecution could be brought against Mr. Harrison based on the evidence presented to them.
Father's Statement of Remorse
In his own statement, Kris Harrison described Lucy as "the light of my life" and expressed profound remorse for his actions. "I fully accept the consequences of my actions, and there isn't a day I don't feel the weight of that loss - a weight I will carry for the rest of my life," he stated.
He recalled treasured memories including watching Lucy grow from her first steps to her graduation, and referenced a letter she wrote during her final visit describing Texas as her home and expressing feeling lucky to be part of "the best family in the whole wide world."
The coroner's damning assessment highlighted the tragic consequences of what she described as reprehensible behavior that amounted to gross negligence, leaving a family devastated by the loss of a young woman described as bringing joy to every room she entered.
