A 23-year-old British woman was fatally shot by her father in the United States after a heated argument over US President Donald Trump, a court has heard. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the case came to light during the opening of an inquest at Cheshire Coroner's Court into the death of Lucy Harrison, a fashion buyer from Warrington, Cheshire.
Visit to the United States turns tragic
According to reports that came to light during the inquest, Lucy had travelled to Texas on January 10, 2025 to visit her father, Kris Harrison, who had relocated to the US several years ago. She was accompanied by her partner boyfriend, Sam Littler. What started out as a family vacation turned out tragically on January 10, when Lucy was shot in the chest inside her father's house.
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Littler testified in court that Lucy and her father had a history of disagreements, especially about his possession of guns. The two had a "big argument" about Donald Trump on the morning of the shooting following which Lucy became "quite upset" and went upstairs.
Moments before the shooting
Later that day, shortly before Lucy and her partner were due to leave for the airport, Lucy was in the kitchen when her father allegedly took her by the hand and led her into a ground floor bedroom. Littler reported hearing a loud bang about 15 seconds later, followed by Kris Harrison shouting for his wife, Heather.
"I remember running into the room and Lucy was lying on the floor near the entrance to the bathroom and Kris was just screaming, just sort of nonsense," Littler told the court.
Father's statement and alcohol relapse
In his statement to the court, Kris Harrison reported that he and his daughter were watching a news report about gun crime when he made a comment about having a gun and asked Lucy if she wanted to see it.
They went into the bedroom to so he could show her the gun, a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun, which he kept in his bedside table.
He stated that he had bought it for the family's protection. He reported that as he raised the gun, it unexpectedly fired, and he couldn't remember if his finger was on the trigger.
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"As I lifted the gun to show her I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell," Kris said.
The father admitted that he had problems with alcohol in the past. He stated that he "briefly lapsed" on the day his daughter died because he was upset about her departure.
In a statement from his lawyers, Kris Harrison said he "fully accepted" the consequences of his actions. "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," he mentioned.
The inquest has been postponed until Wednesday. The coroner is expected to give her conclusions then.
