Lucy Harrison’s friend revealed that the 23-year-old woman had expressed concerns about ‘some volatility’ in her father’s home, which made her ‘extremely anxious’
A British woman who was shot by her father while staying at his home in the US was “extremely anxious” about the fact he owned a handgun, a friend of hers has revealed.
An inquest into the death of Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old from Warrington, Cheshire, heard she was fatally shot in the chest while staying with her father, Kris Harrison, and his family in Prosper, Texas in January last year. Earlier in the day, the pair had an argument about Donald Trump, who was to be inaugurated as president days later, according to Lucy’s boyfriend, Sam Littler, who gave evidence at Cheshire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday.
He also revealed Lucy had been visiting her father, who had moved to the US when she was a child, for a post-Christmas break. The inquest heard evidence regarding Mr Harrison’s alcoholism, with senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish reading a statement from friend Ella Gowing, revealing that Lucy had confided that her father had previously experienced an alcoholic seizure resulting in him being placed in an induced coma.
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She stated: “She said Kris was admitted to a rehab facility and when Lucy visited him in the United States for Christmas in 2023 he appeared to be sober. He had another relapse in March 2024.”
Lucy’s friend also said the young woman was “extremely anxious” due the fact that she noticed “some volatility” in his home. Regarding Lucy’s fears about a handgun her father had purchased, the statement noted: “She was concerned for her younger siblings, she did not want them to be around something so dangerous.
“She said that there was some volatility in Kris’s household which Lucy witnessed when she visited the States and [which] made her feel extremely anxious. She talked about these worries to me.”
Mr Harrison did not attend the hearing but, in a statement, said he and his daughter had been watching a news segment on gun crime on television when he told her he had a gun and asked her if she wanted to see it. When she said yes, they went into the bedroom so he could show her the Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun which he kept in the bedside cabinet, he said.
He said he had bought the gun a couple of years before because he wanted a “sense of security” for his family and denied ever discussing it with his daughter before. A licence is not required when a gun is owned for home defence in Texas, he said.
Mr Harrison said he did not recall whether his finger was on the trigger when he took the gun out of the case. He said: “As I lifted the gun to show her I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell.”
The inquest heard a grand jury in the US determined there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in connection with Lucy’s death. Mr Harrison acknowledged he had issues with alcohol in the past and said he “briefly lapsed” on the day of his daughter’s death because he was emotional about her leaving.
He said he drank 500ml of white wine over the course of two to three hours earlier in the day. The inquest heard police officer Luciana Escalera, whose evidence was read, noticed the smell of alcohol on Mr Harrison’s breath when he was called to the house after the shooting.
CCTV footage showed Mr Harrison had bought two 500ml cartons of Chardonnay from a 7-Eleven store shortly before 1pm that day. Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, said her daughter, who worked for fashion brand Boohoo, was a “real force of life” as she added: “She cared. She was passionate about things. She loved to have debates about things that meant a lot to her.”
Ana Samuel, representing Mr Harrison, made an application at the start of the hearing for coroner Jacqueline Devonish to recuse herself from the case, saying the inquest had been conducted “in a manner more akin to a criminal investigation than a fact-finding inquiry”. Lois Norris, representing Ms Coates, said the application was an “ambush by Mr Harrison’s legal team”. Ms Devonish refused the application to recuse herself.
In a statement issued by his solicitors, Mr Harrison 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.” The inquest was adjourned until Wednesday, when the coroner is expected to deliver her conclusions.
