Key facts
- Jane Coates, mother of Lucy Harrison, will travel to the US to seek the reopening of the investigation into her daughter's death.
- Lucy Harrison, 23, was shot by her father, Kris Harrison, in Texas in January 2025.
- A US grand jury declined to bring criminal charges, citing insufficient evidence.
- A UK coroner ruled Lucy's death an unlawful killing, classifying her father's actions as gross negligence manslaughter.
- Coates feels 'deserted' by British authorities and is seeking support from the UK government.
Jane Coates, the mother of a British woman shot dead by her father in Texas, is traveling to the US in an effort to persuade prosecutors to reopen the case. Lucy Harrison, a 23-year-old fashion buyer from Warrington, Cheshire, was shot by her father, Kris Harrison, at his home in Prosper, Texas, on January 10, 2025. A grand jury in Collin County later decided there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges, with Mr. Harrison claiming the handgun discharged accidentally while he was showing it to his daughter.
In February, a coroner in England concluded that Ms. Harrison had been unlawfully killed, finding her father's actions amounted to gross negligence manslaughter under UK law. Ms. Coates has expressed feeling "incredibly alone" and "deserted by the British authorities" in her pursuit of justice, urging the UK government to support her efforts. She hopes to meet with the district attorney in Texas to advocate for a fresh investigation.
Ms. Coates stated that she expected the unlawful killing conclusion to be a turning point, but it has not yet led to the reopening of the investigation in Texas. She and her advisor, Radd Seiger, who previously assisted the family of Harry Dunn, are planning the trip to Texas to appeal to the Collin County District Attorney's office to reconsider the case in light of the coroner's findings. The ultimate goal is for the US authorities to accept the UK coroner's outcome and give Lucy's case new consideration.