A British mother is calling for U.S. authorities to revisit the investigation into her daughter’s fatal shooting by her father, following a UK coroner’s ruling of recklessness.
The Tragic Shooting
Lucy Harrison, 23, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest from her father, Kris Harrison, at their home in Texas. The incident occurred while he was demonstrating his firearm. It happened last year on the day Lucy and her boyfriend planned to return to Warrington, Cheshire.
Coroner’s Unlawful Killing Verdict
During an inquest in Cheshire, Coroner Jacqueline Devonish recorded an unlawful killing verdict. She stated: “To shoot her through the chest whilst she was standing would have required him to have been pointing the gun without checking for bullets and pulled the trigger. I find this reckless.”
Mother’s Push for Justice
Jane Coates, Lucy’s 49-year-old mother, believes Texas police did not fully investigate contradictions in the case or the father’s recklessness. She hopes the coroner’s findings prompt a fresh U.S. probe.
Coates emphasized her daughter’s values, saying: “The person I want in my mind and in my heart is Lucy. She cared about the truth. Those who really know Lucy’s heart can hear her loud and clear and know exactly what she would want us to do … Make change, do better, be better.”
She had trusted her ex-husband, noting his residence in an upscale neighborhood favored by British expats. Coates learned of the tragedy from her daughter’s boyfriend’s mother, who said: “There’s been an accident, Lucy’s been shot and she’s not made it.”
Texas Investigation Outcome
Local police examined potential criminal negligence but classified the death as accidental. Kris Harrison faced no arrest, and a jury declined to indict him. Coates acknowledges no intent but stresses the recklessness involved.
