British Graduate Unlawfully Killed by Father in Texas, Coroner Rules
A British graduate who was shot dead by her own father while visiting his Texas home was unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled. Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington, Cheshire, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest during a post-Christmas trip to see her father in January last year.
Mother Criticises US Investigation
Lucy's mother, Jane Coates, today criticised the US police investigation into her daughter's death, saying Lucy 'deserved better'. Speaking after the inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court, Ms Coates said it was their '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'.
'Texas gun laws did not keep Lucy safe from harm,' she added, flanked by her daughter's boyfriend Sam Littler.
The Tragic Incident
Lucy Harrison was preparing to fly home to Manchester on January 10 last year when she was shot at her father's home in Prosper, near Dallas. Her father, Kris Harrison, claimed the semi-automatic Glock 9mm pistol 'just went off' as he removed it from its case to show his daughter.
However, Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish rejected this account, ruling that Mr Harrison had deliberately aimed the gun at his daughter's chest while unaware it was loaded. '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 pulling the trigger,' she said.
Reckless Behaviour and Alcohol
The inquest heard that Mr Harrison, described as a 'functioning alcoholic', had drunk at least 500ml of wine on the day of the shooting. Police officers who attended the scene smelled alcohol on his breath but failed to conduct any tests.
Coroner Devonish said Mr Harrison had been 'reckless' to purchase a pistol without undergoing any firearms training. 'His actions have killed his own daughter and in the cold light of day it is hoped that he now recognises the risk he posed to her life in circumstances in which he had no experience of guns, had undertaken no training and had never fired a gun,' she stated.
Family Background and Concerns
Lucy Harrison regularly visited her father in Texas after her parents separated when she was young. The inquest heard she had expressed concerns about 'volatility' in the household and felt it was unsafe for her father to keep a firearm there, particularly with his young daughters present.
Her boyfriend, Sam Littler, told the hearing that Lucy was 'categorically anti-gun' and would not have been interested in seeing the weapon. He described hearing a 'loud bang' just 15 seconds after Mr Harrison took Lucy into a bedroom where the gun was kept.
Legal Proceedings and Father's Statement
A Texas grand jury previously heard evidence in private and decided no prosecution should follow. Mr Harrison did not attend the British inquest, though his lawyers attempted unsuccessfully to have the coroner removed on grounds of alleged bias.
In a statement released after the hearing, Mr Harrison described Lucy as 'the light of my life' and said he was 'deeply sorry' for the pain caused. 'I fully accept the consequences of my actions, and there isn't a day I don't feel the weight of that loss,' he said.
Mother's Emotional Tribute
Jane Coates paid tribute to her daughter as 'sensitive, energetic, intelligent, funny and a really great human being'. She thanked the coroner for giving Lucy 'her voice back' after what she described as 'an unrelenting year of deep shock, grief and fight'.
'I never imagined she would be shot and killed in the US, in a place where she should have been safe,' Ms Coates said. 'We respectfully accept that our two cultures are different in regards to firearms, yet we feel Texas gun laws did not keep Lucy safe from harm.'
She concluded by saying she would not let 'bitterness and hatred' consume her, but would honour Lucy's memory by working for change. 'Make change. Do better. Be better,' she urged.
