A Collin County, Texas, grand jury has declined to indict a father in the fatal shooting of his daughter following an argument that reportedly involved President Trump. The incident occurred on January 10, 2025, at the father’s home in Prosper, near Dallas. Lucy Harrison, 23, had been visiting from Warrington, Cheshire, in the UK.
An inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court examined the circumstances surrounding Lucy’s death. During the hearing, her boyfriend, Sam Littler, who had traveled to Texas with her but did not attend the inquest in person, according to BBC, described a “big argument” earlier that day about President Trump ahead of his second inauguration. According to Littler, Lucy became upset when her father discussed his gun ownership. Littler testified in a statement that during the dispute Lucy asked her father, “How would you feel if I was the girl in that situation and I’d been sexually assaulted?”
He said her father, Kris Harrison, responded that he had two other daughters who lived with him, so it would not upset him that much. Littler told the court Lucy became “quite upset” and ran upstairs.
About half an hour before Lucy and Littler were due to leave for the airport to return to the UK, Littler said Lucy was in the kitchen when her father took her by the hand and led her into his ground-floor bedroom to show her a Glock 9mm handgun. Littler said he heard a loud bang roughly 15 seconds later, followed by Kris Harrison screaming for his wife, Heather. When Littler ran into the room, he saw Lucy lying on the floor near the bathroom entrance, while her father was “screaming just sort of nonsense,” according to reporting by The Independent. Lucy was shot in the chest.
Kris Harrison did not attend the UK inquest from Cheshire Coroner Court. At the outset of proceedings, his representative submitted a statement asking the coroner, Jacqueline Devonish, to recuse herself from the case, arguing that a fair-minded observer might conclude there was a real possibility of bias. The representative also contended that the inquest was being conducted more like a criminal investigation than a fact-finding inquiry.
Devonish declined Kris’s legal team request to step down, noting that Harrison was the only other person in the room when Lucy was fatally shot and that it was important for him to provide a factual statement. She also observed that he had lost his opportunity to provide evidence(s). The inquest heard testimony that Harrison had a history of alcoholism and had relapsed around the time of the shooting. Questions were also raised by the Coroner office about his firearms training and whether he knew the gun was loaded.
Chester Coroner’s Court in Cheshire, UK, where an inquest was conducted into the death of Lucy Harrison; Courtesy of Newsquest
An attorney representing Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, accused Harrison’s representatives of ambushing the coroner with the recusal request, noting that he had 113 days to raise concerns after being asked to provide a witness statement, as reported by The Sun.
According to The Sun, Harrison recollected his version of the incident and said he had been watching news coverage about gun crime and told his daughter he owned a firearm. In his bedroom, he asked whether she wanted to see it. He retrieved the gun from a bedside cabinet.
In a statement reported by the news outlet, Harrison said he lifted the Glock to show her, heard a loud bang, and Lucy immediately collapsed. He said he could not remember whether his finger was on the trigger.
Harrison acknowledged past alcoholism and admit to his “briefly lapsed” on the day of Lucy’s death, adding that he was emotional about her impending departure.
Luciana Escalera, the responding officer, testified that she smelled alcohol on his breath at the scene. Police investigated the shooting as possible manslaughter, but on June 10, 2025, a 12-member Collin County grand jury declined to indict him.
Kris’ lawyer released a statement on his behalf in the aftermath of his daughter’s death, which stated the following:
“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, and I know that nothing I say can ease the heartbreak this tragedy has caused,” he said.
“I cannot undo what happened, but I can honour Lucy by being the best father I can be to her sisters and by carrying her memory forward in everything we do.
“I am deeply sorry for the pain others feel from this tragedy. Lucy’s spirit — her warmth, her humour, her kindness — will live on in all of us who loved her.”
The circumstances surrounding the case drew public scrutiny from social media. Below are some comments from the Bluesky community.
@kaitlinkallee.bsk.social posted:
“Donald Trump encourages male violence. She asked the right questions, RIP Lucy Harrison. When you’re so brainwashed you’d kill your own daughter over this man… no wonder you wouldn’t care about who he has raped either.”
@jum.bsky.social wrote:
“Time for a “Lucy Harrison Act” where we criminalize MAGA and send the security apparatus after every ameriklan fascist”
Thoughts?
