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Mum's plea to reopen case into daughter's shooting in US
TL;DR
The mother of Lucy Harrison, shot by her father in Texas, is urging authorities to reopen the investigation, claiming it lacked thoroughness. No charges were filed against her father after a grand jury declined to indict him.
Key points
- Lucy Harrison was shot by her father in Texas.
- Her mother is calling for the case to be reopened.
- No charges were filed after a grand jury declined to indict.
- The Prosper Police Department's investigation is under scrutiny.
- The Town of Prosper has referred the case for review.
Mentioned in this story
Lucy HarrisonKris HarrisonJane CoatesTexasProsper
The mother of a woman who was shot and killed by her father in Texas has called for the case to be reopened as she does not believe US detectives investigated the case with "rigour and scrutiny".
Lucy Harrison, 23, was alone in a room with her father, Kris Harrison, at his home in the town of Prosper when she was shot in the chest on 10 January 2025.
Police investigated her death as possible manslaughter but no criminal case was brought against her father after a grand jury declined to indict him.
Lucy's mother Jane Coates said she did not believe Prosper Police Department "did the right thing" and she has submitted a complaint. The Town of Prosper said it had referred the case for review.
A grand jury is a group of citizens who determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue a prosecution.
The local district attorney's office confirmed in June 2025 "the grand jury voted a no-bill, which means there will be no criminal charges related to the death".
Jane, from Warrington, said: "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.
"I think some days I have a thousand little fires inside of me, and other days you just feel completely spent.
"But then I hear Lucy saying 'Come on mum, you've got to do the right thing for me', however uncomfortable that might be, however tough that might be."
Lucy and her boyfriend Sam Littler, who had been visiting her father and his family, were due to fly home later on the day of her death.
"In the days that followed, for me, it was too much to actually try and process how it had happened," said Jane.
"Just the fact that Lucy had gone, and even now when I'm talking about this, it still doesn't feel real."
In February, an inquest into Lucy's death, which was held in the UK, heard her father - described as a "functioning alcoholic" - had been secretly drinking wine on the day on the day of the shooting without the rest of his family being aware.
"I feel an anger that my daughter was tested for alcohol and for drugs with her autopsy, yet the person that shot her wasn't, and how is that fair?" said Jane.
Kris Harrison declined to attend the inquest to give evidence, but in written statements said the gun just "went off" as he lifted it out of a case to show his daughter.
However, the senior coroner for Cheshire, Jacqueline Devonish, concluded Lucy had been unlawfully killed.
She said based on the evidence she had heard, Kris Harrison's actions had been "reckless" and amounted to gross negligence manslaughter.
The inquest heard a grand jury in the US had determined there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in connection with Lucy's death.
Q&A
What happened to Lucy Harrison in Texas?
Lucy Harrison was shot in the chest by her father, Kris Harrison, while alone with him at his home on January 10, 2025.
Why does Lucy's mother want the case reopened?
Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, believes the investigation by the Prosper Police Department was not conducted with sufficient rigor and scrutiny.
What was the outcome of the initial investigation into Lucy's death?
The police investigated her death as possible manslaughter, but a grand jury declined to indict her father, resulting in no criminal charges.
What is a grand jury and its role in this case?
A grand jury is a group of citizens that determines whether there is enough evidence to pursue a prosecution, which in this case led to no charges against Kris Harrison.
