Bodycam Footage Captures Father's Account of Daughter's Fatal Shooting in Texas
Police bodycam footage has revealed the moment a father described how he fatally shot his daughter during a holiday visit in Texas. Lucy Harrison, a 24-year-old from Warrington, was killed at her father's home in Prosper, Texas, on January 10, 2025, while visiting with her boyfriend Sam Littler.
Inquest Delivers Verdict of Unlawful Killing
A coroner has ruled Lucy Harrison's death as an unlawful killing resulting from gross negligence manslaughter. The inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington heard that Lucy's father, Kris Harrison, led her into his bedroom shortly before planning to drive her and Sam to the airport.
Senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish detailed how Mr Harrison claimed he and Lucy had watched a news segment about gun crime in America before examining his 9mm semi-automatic Glock handgun. Testimonies from Sam, Lucy's mother Jane Coates, and friend Ella Gowing emphasized that Lucy was anti-guns and opposed to bearing arms.
Bodycam Footage Shows Father's Statement to Police
In the bodycam footage presented to the court, Mr Harrison tells Prosper Police Department officer Aulden Baker: "We were getting ready to go to the airport and we were talking about guns and she said 'you've got a gun?' and I said yes. I got it out and it just went off as she stood there. As I pulled it out, it went off."
When Officer Baker asks if he put the gun on the bed, Mr Harrison responds: "I put it on the bed straight away." He adds: "We took it out to look and just as I picked it up it went off."
Coroner Dismisses Father's Account of the Incident
The coroner rejected Mr Harrison's version of events, stating: "I accept he did not load the magazine into the handgun. I accept that he did not know the gun was loaded. I do not accept that the gun just went off as he removed it from the box. This is due to the room layout and location in which Lucy's body was found."
She continued: "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. I find this action to be reckless."
Alcohol Consumption and Lack of Prosecution
It emerged during the inquest that Mr Harrison had been drinking alcohol on the day of the shooting, initially claiming to officers he drank only the previous day before admitting to continuous drinking that morning. The coroner characterized him as a "functioning alcoholic" and noted his irresponsible plan to drive Lucy and Sam to the airport.
Despite the unlawful killing verdict, no charges were brought against Mr Harrison after a grand jury examined the evidence in June 2025. Lucy's mother and boyfriend expressed concerns about the investigation, with Jane Coates stating: "Furthermore, 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 added: "Lucy deserved better. The Grand Jury seemed to have no option but to conclude a 'no bill' which meant no prosecution could be brought, based on the evidence they were presented with."
The couple had flown from Heathrow to visit her father's American home on December 28, 2024, after purchasing their first home together in Warrington and celebrating Christmas with family.
