A grieving mother whose daughter was shot dead by her father after an argument about Donald Trump has called for the case to be reopened. Jane Coates has claimed US detectives failed to investigate the case with the necessary 'rigour and scrutiny.'
The Incident
Lucy Harrison, 23, was shot in the chest while alone in a room with her father, Kris Harrison, during a visit with her boyfriend on 10 January 2025, in Prosper, Texas. Local police investigated her death as possible manslaughter, but a grand jury in Collin County declined to indict the father, leading to no criminal charges.
Inquest Findings
An inquest into Lucy's death was held in both the UK and the US. During the UK inquest, Kris Harrison was described as a 'functioning alcoholic' who had been drinking on the day of the shooting. He failed to appear in person but provided written statements claiming the gun 'just went off' when he lifted it from a case to show his daughter. The US inquest concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone.
Mother's Plea
Jane Coates, from Warrington, Cheshire, has called for the case to be reopened despite the grand jury's decision. She stated: 'The absolute goal is to be able to reopen Lucy's case. I know that statistics are against us in terms of that, but that does not mean that we can't try.' She added: 'I really don't believe that the Prosper Police Department did the right thing. They did not investigate with rigour and scrutiny.'
Jane also expressed disbelief at the police's diagram of the room where Lucy was shot, saying it was clear that Kris's version of events could not have been valid. She admitted the loss still 'doesn't feel real.'
Political Response
Warrington South MP Sarah Hall commented that Lucy's death has 'exposed serious gaps in the support available to British families when a loved one dies abroad in suspicious circumstances.' She noted that families like Jane's are often left navigating complex foreign legal systems while dealing with unimaginable grief, and that support too often depends on discretion.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We will always look to learn lessons from cases such as this one to improve the consular support we offer to other families in the future.'
