The UK government is under pressure to push a Texas police department to reopen an investigation following the fatal shooting of a British woman by her father in Texas.
Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old from Warrington, Cheshire, was visiting her father Kris in Prosper, near Dallas, when she was shot in the chest on January 10, 2025, less than two weeks after arriving in Texas with her boyfriend on December 28, 2024.
Despite the circumstances surrounding her death, no criminal charges were filed against Kris. The Senior Coroner for Cheshire, Jaqueline Devonish, ruled that Kris’ actions constituted unlawful killing due to gross negligence manslaughter during an inquest.
During the inquest, it was revealed that Kris had consumed alcohol on the day of the incident and had taken Lucy into a room to show her his gun after an argument about Donald Trump.
In a recent development, Labour MP Sarah Hall has called on the government to request US authorities to reconsider the case. The Texas authorities initially investigated the death as possible manslaughter, but a grand jury in Collin County chose not to indict Kris.
In a parliamentary discussion about the tragedy, Sarah Hall emphasized that Lucy should have felt safe in her father’s home. She also criticized the lack of adequate support from the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office for Lucy’s family and her boyfriend in navigating the Texas legal system.
Highlighting the grand jury decision in Texas, the MP stressed the need for a re-examination of the case, citing the coroner’s findings that condemned Kris’ actions as exceptionally negligent and holding him responsible for Lucy’s death.
Sarah Hall urged the government to utilize all available resources to ensure that Texas authorities reconsider Lucy’s case based on the British court’s conclusions and to provide support to the grieving family throughout the process.