Father shot and killed daughter after argument about Donald Trump - Court told

A 23-year-old British woman was fatally shot by her father at his home in Texas following a heated political argument about US President Donald Trump, a court has heard.

Lucy Harrison, who had travelled from Warrington in Cheshire to visit her father in Prosper, near Dallas, died from a gunshot wound to the chest on January 10, 2025. Although local authorities investigated the incident as possible manslaughter, a grand jury in Collin County declined to indict her father, Kris Harrison.

Fresh details emerged during an inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court, where Lucy’s boyfriend, Sam Littler, recounted the events leading up to the shooting. He told the court the pair had been involved in a “big argument” about Trump, who was preparing to return to office for a second term.

According to Littler, tensions escalated when Lucy posed a personal question to her father during the exchange. “How would you feel if I were the girl in that situation and I'd been sexually assaulted?” She asked, as quoted by the BBC.

He said her father responded that he had two other daughters living with him and that it would not upset him that much. Lucy, he told the court, became “quite upset” and went upstairs.

The inquest heard that shortly before Lucy and Littler were due to leave for the airport, Kris Harrison led his daughter into his bedroom. Moments later, Littler said he heard a gunshot.

“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 testified.

In a written statement read before the court, Kris Harrison said he had been watching a news segment on gun violence with his daughter and mentioned that he owned a firearm, asking whether she wanted to see it. He told investigators he retrieved a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun from his bedside cabinet, which he had purchased for what he described as a “sense of security” for his family.

He denied previously discussing the weapon with Lucy.

“As I lifted the gun to show her I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell,” he said in the statement read in court.

Harrison added that he could not remember whether his finger was on the trigger at the time. He also acknowledged a history of alcohol addiction and admitted he had “briefly lapsed” on the day of the shooting, consuming about 500ml of white wine as he struggled emotionally with his daughter’s impending departure.

Police evidence presented at the hearing indicated that he had purchased two 500ml cartons of Chardonnay from a convenience store hours before the incident. An officer who responded to the scene also detected alcohol on his breath.

Legal wrangles marked the start of the inquest, with Harrison’s lawyer arguing there was a “real possibility she was biased” in reference to the coroner, and claiming proceedings had taken place “in a manner more akin to a criminal investigation than a fact-finding inquiry.” The application for recusal was dismissed.

Lucy’s mother, Jane Coates, described her daughter as a ‘real force of life’. “She cared. She was passionate about things. She loved to have debates about things that meant a lot to her,” she said.

In a statement released through his legal team, Kris Harrison said he fully accepted the consequences of his actions, adding: “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.”

The inquest was adjourned, with the coroner expected to deliver her findings on Wednesday.