Mother of British Woman Killed in Texas Demands Renewed Investigation

Jane Coates, the mother of Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old British woman fatally shot in Texas, has traveled to the Collin County District Attorney's Office seeking a renewed investigation into her daughter's death. Harrison was shot on January 10, 2025, at her father Kris Harrison's home in Prosper, Texas.

Coates stated her purpose was to "look these people in the eye and ask them some very simple questions about my daughter." She expressed her commitment to finding the truth, saying, "I'm not prepared to give up on Lucy. I never will."

According to Lucy Harrison's boyfriend, Sam Littler, the shooting occurred after an argument between Harrison and her father about the impending inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term. Kris Harrison, 52, claimed the gun discharged accidentally while he was showing it to his daughter in the master bedroom shortly before she was due to depart for the UK. Local police treated the incident as an accident, and Mr. Harrison was not arrested.

A Texas grand jury declined to indict Kris Harrison, ruling the death an accident. However, a UK coroner, at an inquest held earlier this year, concluded that Lucy Harrison had been unlawfully killed.

Coates contends that the initial investigation was insufficient, pointing to several alleged oversights. These include the failure to conduct toxicology tests despite officers detecting alcohol on Mr. Harrison's breath at the time of the shooting. She also noted the absence of gunshot residue testing, inconsistencies in Mr. Harrison's account, and unresolved questions regarding bullet trajectory and the entry wound.

These concerns are echoed by Craig Miller, a former Dallas police chief and now a law enforcement expert witness, who reviewed the case files. Miller found that investigators did not appear to follow several key lines of inquiry and noted departures from nationally accepted investigative best practices.

Coates's visit follows repeated unsuccessful attempts to secure meetings with both the Prosper Police Department and the Collin County District Attorney's Office. A spokesperson for the Justice for Lucy Harrison campaign, Radd Seiger, stated that Coates was compelled to travel to Texas because she had not received satisfactory answers regarding her daughter's death.

Prosper Police and the Collin County District Attorney's Office have maintained that their investigation into Ms. Harrison's death was "thorough and complete." The Justice for Lucy Harrison campaign plans a series of media appearances and public engagements in Dallas to increase pressure on local authorities to revisit the case. A fundraising campaign to support the family's travel costs has raised over £7,000.