A Texas father who sh*t and slain his 23-year-old daughter after a political argument about President Donald Trump will not face criminal charges, despite a UK coroner later ruling her passing an unlawful k*lling.
On January 10, 2025, Lucy Harrison from Warrington, Cheshire, was fatally wounded in the chest by her father, Kris Harrison, at his home in Prosper, Texas.
Highlights
- A heated political argument regarding Donald Trump and gun rights reportedly preceded the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Lucy Harrison.
- Kris Harrison claimed his Glock 9mm discharged spontaneously while he was showing it to his daughter, though he could not recall if his finger was on the trigger.
- Evidence presented at the inquest confirmed Harrison had relapsed on the day of the sho*ting, consuming multiple cartons of wine prior to the incident.
- Legal analysts suggested the decision was symptomatic of the "political climate" and conservative legal standards regarding firearm handling in Collin County.
Although the case was initially investigated as possible manslaughter, a Collin County grand jury declined to indict him.
Now, a legal expert has come forward to explain the reasoning behind the decision.
Before barraging his daughter, Kris Harrison and Lucy had an escalated political argument at their Texas home
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An inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard that Lucy and her father had a “big argument” earlier that day about Trump, who was preparing to be inaugurated for a second term later that month.
Lucy was visiting her father with her boyfriend, Sam Littler, who told the court the disagreement became heated during a discussion involving g*n rights and s*xual a*sault.
“How would you feel if I were the girl in that situation and I’d been s*xually a*saulted?” Lucy asked her father, according to Littler.
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The inquest heard Kris replied that it would not upset him that much because he had two other daughters living with him. Littler shared that Lucy became “quite upset” and ran upstairs.
About 30 minutes before the couple was due to leave for the airport, Littler alleged Kris took Lucy by the hand and led her into his ground-floor bathroom. Nearly 15 seconds later, he heard a loud bang.
“I remember running into the room, and Lucy was lying on the floor near the entrance to the bathroom, and Kris was just screaming, just sort of nonsense,” he told the court.
Kris Harrison defended himself, claiming the firearm discharged accidentally while showing it to Lucy
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In a statement read to the court, Kris claimed he had offered to show Lucy his Glock 9mm semi-automatic handg*n after they had been watching a news item on g*n crime.
“As I lifted the g*n to show her, I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell,” he said.
He further admitted that he could not recall whether his finger was on the trigger.
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Harrison claimed he purchased the firearm a few years earlier for what he described as “a sense of security” for his family. Under Texas law, no license is required to own a firearm.
Kris also admitted that he was an alcoholic who had relapsed on the day of the e*ecution and had drunk three glasses of wine, per the BBC. CCTV footage showed he had bought two 500ml cartons of Chardonnay from a 7-Eleven store.
The a*cohol consumption was confirmed after police officer Luciana Escalera noticed the smell of a*cohol on Kris’ breath.
Despite the circumstances, Collin County grand jury declined to indict Kris, citing insufficient evidence
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A Collin County grand jury declined to bring charges against Harrison in June 2025, determining there was insufficient evidence to proceed with manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide.
The decision was analyzed by an Austin-based criminal defense lawyer and a former prosecutor, Lindsay Richards.
“I honestly believe that the fact that he was not indicted and has not had any consequences for doing this is symptomatic of a very conservative county in Texas,” Richards told The Post.
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“The only thing we can boil this down to is looking at our political climate. A conservative county in Texas, and this was the result,” she said.
She added that criminally negligent homicide would have required prosecutors to prove Kris failed to recognize a substantial and unjustifiable risk.
“Certainly an individual taking a firearm, showing it to his daughter — and had to have been pointing it at her — that doesn’t typically happen,” she said.
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Richards further noted that a*cohol consumption should have been a significant factor.
“He had been drinking that day as well. So that’s another element to this that I cannot believe was not considered in his criminal negligence.”
She emphasized that Texas “stand-your-ground” laws would not apply in this situation because the fatal encounter did not involve self-defense.
Lucy was described as a “real force of life” and worked for fashion brand Boohoo
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Lucy lived with her mother, Jane Coates, in Warrington, England. Coates described the grand jury’s decision as “baffling” and “beyond comprehension” at the time.
She described her daughter as a “real force of life.”
“She cared. She was passionate about things. She loved to have debates about things that meant a lot to her.”
After the grand jury made its decision, Kris, who did not attend the inquest, issued a statement.
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He said, “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, and I know that nothing I say can ease the heartbreak this tragedy has caused.”
"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,” he concluded.
“Why would a Texas grand jury not indict him on any charges?” questioned one netizen
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