Grieving relatives are launching a high-stakes return to Texas to confront local authorities after explosive new police files blew wide open the investigation into the fatal shooting of 23-year-old British tourist Lucy Katherin Harrison
Lucy suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest inside her father Kris Harrison's Prosper home on 10 January 2025, just hours before she was scheduled to fly back to the United Kingdom following a heated political argument.
While a Collin County grand jury cleared her father of criminally negligent homicide after he claimed his Glock handgun discharged accidentally, a Cheshire coroner delivered a scathing verdict in February 2026, formally ruling the death an unlawful killing by gross negligence.
Now, newly obtained investigative records reveal that responding officers suspected the father had been consuming alcohol but failed to administer a breathalyser test or conduct proper crime scene reconstructions.
As the victim's mother Jane Coates spearheads the 'For Luce' campaign to force a federal review, local law enforcement in Prosper has flatly refused to reopen the case, igniting a fierce transatlantic crusade for accountability and justice.
Lucy Harrison Was Hours From Flying Home When Tragedy Struck
Lucy had travelled to the US with her boyfriend, Sam Littler, for a holiday and was staying with her father and his family in Prosper. The couple were due to return to the UK on the morning of 10 January.
Earlier that day, the inquest heard, Lucy and Kris had a 'big' argument about Donald Trump, who was due to be inaugurated as president. Littler told the coroner that Lucy became upset following the argument.
About half an hour before the couple were due to leave for the airport, Littler said Kris took Lucy by the hand into his ground-floor bedroom. He then heard a loud bang around 15 seconds later. Lucy had been shot in the chest.
Kris told police that he had been showing Lucy his Glock handgun when it discharged. He maintained that the shooting was accidental.
A Collin County grand jury subsequently declined to indict him on a charge of criminally negligent homicide. The UK inquest reached a different conclusion.
In February 2026, Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish concluded that Lucy's death was an 'unlawful killing' on the grounds of gross negligence manslaughter.
The coroner found that Kris had been reckless in handling the firearm and did not accept his account that the gun had simply gone off. That finding was made during a UK inquest and was not a criminal conviction in Texas.
Why Is Lucy Harrison's Case Facing Fresh Scrutiny?
The latest concerns centre partly on what happened during the original police investigation. Police documents reviewed by FOX 4 state that officers smelled alcohol on Kris's breath. He initially denied drinking before telling investigators that he had consumed wine.
Surveillance footage from a nearby store also showed him buying two cartons of wine before the shooting, according to FOX 4.
The 40-page police report reviewed in the latest reporting does not state that Harrison underwent a breathalyser test or provided a blood sample after officers suspected he had been drinking.
The records also do not show evidence of a crime-scene reconstruction to clarify the angle of the shooting, according to FOX 4. Those details have since been cited by Lucy's family in its campaign to have the case reconsidered.
Craig Miller, a former deputy chief of crimes against persons with the Dallas Police Department, told FOX 4 that testing Harrison's blood would have been important if alcohol was suspected.
He also questioned whether investigators could establish Harrison's ability to comprehend and recall the events without knowing his blood alcohol level.
The grand jury records remain sealed. Former Collin County prosecutor Jeremy Rosenthal told FOX 4 that grand jury records are sealed, leaving no complete public picture of what prosecutors presented before the decision not to indict.
Why Was Lucy Harrison's Father Not Indicted?
Lucy's mother has launched the 'For Luce' campaign and filed a complaint with Prosper Police about the handling of the investigation. Littler has also filed a complaint.
Coates and supporters of the campaign are preparing to return to Texas, where they hope to speak with the Prosper police chief and the Collin County District Attorney's Office. Prosper Police, however, say they will not reopen the investigation.
In a statement reported by FOX 4, the department said Prosper Police and the Texas Rangers had conducted a 'thorough and complete investigation' before the case was referred to the Collin County District Attorney's Office and presented to an independent grand jury.
The department also said it would not meet with Coates. An attorney for the Town of Prosper separately told FOX 4 that the town would not meet her because of 'threatened civil litigation'. Coates disputed that account, saying no one had suggested civil litigation.
The Collin County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the record, FOX 4 reported. It also reported that it had not received comment from Kris Harrison, his wife or his lawyers.
The Texas grand jury declined to indict Harrison, while the UK inquest concluded that Lucy's death was an unlawful killing. Prosper Police has said it will not reopen the investigation, while Lucy's family continues to campaign for the case to be reconsidered.
