British Woman Shot Dead by Father in Texas After Debate Over US President Donald Trump and Guns

New York, February 11: A British coroner has ruled that Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old fashion buyer from Cheshire, was "unlawfully killed" by her father at his home in Texas. The ruling, delivered at Cheshire Coroner's Court on February 11, concluded that Harrison died from a gunshot wound to the chest caused by "gross negligence manslaughter." The fatal incident occurred on January 10, 2025, in the Dallas suburb of Prosper, following a heated political argument between the father and daughter regarding Donald Trump and American gun culture.

The inquest revealed that the tragedy unfolded just hours before Lucy and her boyfriend, Sam Littler, were scheduled to fly back to the UK. Tensions had flared earlier that morning during a "big argument" about the upcoming presidential inauguration. According to testimony from Mr. Littler, the debate grew personal when Lucy challenged her father's stance on sexual assault and firearm ownership. Her father, Kris Harrison, reportedly told her his views would not change even if his own daughters were affected, a response that left Lucy "visibly upset." Indian National Killed in US: 4 Members of Indian-Origin Family Found Dead, Children Hid in Closet and Made Critical 911 Call.

The Fatal Shooting

Roughly thirty minutes before the couple was to leave for the airport, Kris Harrison led Lucy by the hand into his ground-floor bedroom. Within 15 seconds, a single shot from a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun was fired. Mr. Littler testified that he heard a loud bang and found Lucy lying on the floor near the entrance to the bathroom while her father screamed in distress.

Kris Harrison, who did not attend the UK inquest but provided a written statement, claimed the shooting was a tragic accident. He stated that they had been watching a news segment about gun crime when he decided to show her his firearm, and it "just went off" as he lifted it from his bedside cabinet. US Shocker: Man Beats Wife to Death With Belt, Flagpole and Gun in Front of 3 Children, Forces Them To Clean Up Blood in Oklahoma; Sentence to Life Imprisonment.

Alcohol Relapse and Lack of Charges

A critical element of the inquest was the disclosure of Kris Harrison’s alcohol consumption. Although he initially denied drinking, CCTV footage and police reports confirmed he had purchased and consumed approximately 500ml of white wine that afternoon, marking a relapse in his recovery from addiction.

Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish noted that Harrison was a "functioning alcoholic" at the time. Despite these findings, a grand jury in Collin County, Texas, previously declined to indict him for manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, citing insufficient evidence. This decision effectively closed the criminal case in the United States, leaving the UK inquest as the primary venue for a formal determination of the facts.

In her final verdict, Coroner Devonish rejected the claim of a purely accidental discharge. She stated that for Lucy to be shot through the chest while standing, her father would have had to point the weapon directly at her and pull the trigger without ensuring it was unloaded. "I find these actions to be reckless," Devonish remarked, concluding that the shooting met the legal threshold for unlawful killing.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 11, 2026 07:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).