UK Police State 'No Authority' in Death of Woman Shot in US

Cheshire police have informed the mother of a British woman who died in Texas that they have no authority to investigate her death, despite a coroner in England concluding the incident was an unlawful killing due to gross negligence manslaughter.

Lucy Harrison, 23, died in February 2023 after her father, Kris Harrison, stated a Glock handgun discharged accidentally while he was showing it to his daughter. A grand jury in Texas subsequently decided there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against him.

However, an inquest in England concluded Harrison had been unlawfully killed, with the coroner finding her father's actions amounted to gross negligence manslaughter under UK law. The family's lawyer, Radd Seiger, had urged Cheshire police to gather evidence, citing concerns about the American investigation and the potential discovery of new evidence, including data from Lucy's mobile phone.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Evans of Cheshire police stated that while the force recognized the exceptional circumstances and provided support, they are "ultimately constrained by legal, jurisdictional and practical realities that significantly limit what any police force in England and Wales can do in relation to a death that occurred in the United States."

Evans explained that a Senior Investigating Officer had reviewed the case and sought information from US law enforcement agencies. He acknowledged the passage of time does not diminish the family's need for answers and their determination to understand the circumstances of Lucy's death.

The family had argued that a mechanism exists for British citizens who commit murder or manslaughter abroad to be prosecuted in British courts. However, Evans noted that even where jurisdiction may arguably exist, the practical ability to investigate and prosecute is severely limited when the suspect, witnesses, and evidence are located overseas.

Seiger emphasized that the family was not asking Cheshire police to take over the American investigation but rather to examine relevant evidence that had not yet been thoroughly investigated. The family has been seeking answers and justice for nearly two years and is unwilling to accept the investigation is complete simply because US authorities have closed their case.