British Coroner Rules Father Unlawfully Killed Daughter During Gun Incident Inside Texas Family Home

Body-worn camera footage has captured the immediate aftermath of a tragedy that has now been formally ruled an unlawful killing. A British father told officers his gun “just went off” moments after his 23-year-old daughter was shot dead inside his Texas home.

Kris Harrison, described during proceedings as a “functioning alcoholic,” insisted the discharge was accidental. But a coroner in Warrington, Cheshire, has rejected that account, concluding instead that his actions were reckless and that Lucy Harrison was unlawfully killed.

The Final Day of a Holiday

Lucy had been spending time in Texas with her boyfriend, Sam Littler, visiting her father after Christmas. It was the last day of their trip. They were preparing to head to the airport when, according to footage and testimony, Mr Harrison led his daughter into a downstairs bedroom where he kept a Glock 9mm pistol locked in a bedside cabinet.

Within seconds, a shot rang out.

Mr Littler, who had been nearby, dialled 911 in panic. He later told the inquest he found Lucy collapsed on the floor. The house, still decorated for Christmas, had been full of family activity earlier that day. Outside, snow lay on the ground. Inside, something unthinkable had just happened.

“It Just Went Off”

In the police bodycam video, Mr Harrison can be heard explaining what happened. Dressed casually, he tells officers they had been talking about guns before leaving for the airport. He claimed Lucy asked to see the pistol.

“I got it out and it just went off,” he said. “As I pulled it out, it went off.”

He maintained he had stored it in a locked box in a bedside cabinet. He said he placed it on the bed immediately after the shot was fired.

But that explanation has now been firmly rejected.

The Coroner’s Conclusion

Senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish concluded Lucy had been unlawfully killed. She found that for the bullet to strike Lucy in the chest while she was standing, her father must have been pointing the weapon directly at her and pulling the trigger without checking whether it was loaded.

She described his behaviour as reckless. While she accepted he may not have realised the gun was loaded, she determined that aiming it at chest height and pulling the trigger amounted to deliberate action.

The coroner also criticised the fact that Mr Harrison had purchased a handgun without undertaking any formal training in firearm safety — something legal under Texas “home defence” provisions, provided the weapon is not carried in public.

Alcohol and a Missed Test

The inquest heard Mr Harrison had consumed at least 500ml of white wine that morning. An officer at the scene reported smelling alcohol on his breath. Initially, Mr Harrison denied drinking that day before admitting he had consumed what he described as a “small” carton of wine.

Despite that admission and the officer’s suspicions, no formal alcohol test was conducted by Texas police. The local investigation ultimately ruled Lucy’s death accidental, and a grand jury declined to pursue charges.

Her mother, Jane Coates, said her daughter “deserved better” and criticised what she described as a lack of rigour in the American investigation.

A House on Edge

Testimony painted a picture of tension inside the household. Lucy had reportedly argued with her father that morning about Donald Trump. Her boyfriend told the inquest he often felt uneasy there, describing it as a home filled with strong opinions and volatility.

Friends described Lucy as firmly anti-gun. She had reportedly voiced concerns about firearms being kept in a home with young children present, calling it an unpredictable environment.

The coroner also noted that Mr Harrison did not immediately tell Lucy’s boyfriend that he had shot her, despite knowing what had occurred.

A Mother’s Anguish

Standing beside Lucy’s boyfriend after the ruling, her mother spoke of heartbreak — but also restraint. She criticised Texas gun laws as fundamentally different from those in England and said firearms were responsible for too many deaths in the United States.

Yet she said she would not allow bitterness to define her. Lucy, she explained, had a strong moral compass and a deep sense of justice.

“She had so much more of life to live,” her mother said.

A Wider Context

Texas has some of the most permissive firearm laws in the United States. Under “constitutional carry” rules, adults can possess handguns without a licence in many circumstances. By contrast, in England and Wales, handgun ownership is heavily restricted and tightly regulated.

Campaigners have long argued that training requirements and safe storage laws play a crucial role in preventing accidental shootings. Critics of looser laws say tragedies like Lucy’s highlight the risks of combining alcohol, inexperience and lethal weapons.

What’s next?

The coroner’s finding of unlawful killing does not automatically trigger criminal proceedings in the United States. Jurisdiction remains with Texas authorities, where a grand jury has already declined to prosecute.

However, the ruling could prompt renewed scrutiny of the original investigation and the decision not to test for alcohol. It may also intensify debate over cross-border accountability when British citizens die abroad.

For Lucy’s family, the focus now appears to be on remembrance — and on raising awareness about the dangers they believe contributed to her death.

Summary

A British inquest has concluded that 23-year-old Lucy Harrison was unlawfully killed after being shot by her father in his Texas home.

Although he claimed the gun “just went off,” the coroner ruled that he had recklessly pointed it at her chest and pulled the trigger, unaware it was loaded.

Evidence showed he had been drinking earlier in the day, yet US police did not conduct an alcohol test and the death was initially deemed accidental.

Lucy’s family have criticised the investigation and highlighted differences between US and UK gun laws, calling for lessons to be learned from what they describe as an avoidable tragedy.