More than a year after her daughter was fatally shot by her father in Texas, Jane Coates has travelled 4,000 miles from Britain to demand that authorities reopen the case.
Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington, Cheshire, was shot in the chest by her father, Kris Harrison, 52, at his home in Prosper, Texas, on January 10, 2025.
US authorities ultimately decided not to bring charges. But after a British inquest, a coroner concluded that Lucy had been unlawfully killed and described her father’s actions as “reckless”.
Now Jane is determined to have the investigation examined again.
Mum demands answers from Texas authorities
Jane travelled to Texas this week alongside Radd Seiger, a former adviser to the family of Harry Dunn.
Their aim was to meet officials, draw attention to the British coroner’s findings and push for a fresh investigation into Lucy’s death.
The Texas Grand Jury was presented with the available evidence but decided against bringing charges.
Jane has strongly disputed the handling of the case and previously complained to the Prosper Police Department, alleging that investigators failed to properly examine evidence that could challenge Kris Harrison’s account of what happened.
She has specifically raised concerns over the failure to collect CCTV footage and carry out alcohol testing on Kris, as well as what she believes were inconsistencies in his version of events.
Lucy’s final moments
Lucy had travelled to Texas to visit her father and was at his home with her boyfriend, Sam Littler, on the day she died.
Kris admitted that he had been drinking alcohol. He said the gun discharged accidentally while he was “showing off” to his daughter.
Littler told the coroner that Lucy had asked to see her father’s firearm.
He later heard a gunshot and found Lucy on the bedroom floor, injured and struggling to breathe.
Emergency crews rushed her to Baylor University Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead.
For Littler, the aftermath was almost impossible to comprehend.
Speaking about his experience at the police station after the shooting, he previously told The Sun: “I was 23 years old, alone in Texas, and had just found out that my girlfriend had died”.
Jane questions the official version
Jane believes the investigation did not adequately address evidence surrounding the shooting.
She visited the office of district attorney Greg Willis, who had presented the case to the grand jury, on Monday but was turned away.
Jane said she wanted officials to explain how Kris’s account could be reconciled with the nature and location of Lucy’s injuries.
“If I’d had the opportunity, I’d have asked them: how can you say that this has been a thorough and complete investigation?” she said.
She questioned how investigators could reconcile Kris’s claim that Lucy had been standing to his right when the gun “just went off” with the evidence surrounding the fatal wound.
“For me, this is just about basic forensic evidence,” Jane said.
Former Dallas police chief backs calls for review
During her trip to Texas, Jane also met former Dallas police chief Craig Miller, who believes the investigation should be reopened.
Miller has called for authorities to examine Kris’s phone records as part of a closer look at the relationship between father and daughter, which Jane has described as “complex”.
He also raised concerns about the firearm involved in Lucy’s death.
Miller said the compact Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol used in the shooting can retain a round in the chamber even when the magazine is removed.
He described Kris Harrison’s conduct as “negligent” and said such conduct amounted to a crime under Texas law.
Local resident joins the campaign
Jane’s campaign has also attracted support in Prosper.
Local resident Shannon Suess said she was shocked that Lucy’s story and her mother’s campaign had not received greater attention.
She said she believed the case should be reopened and had personally urged authorities to take action.
Jane said that everyone she and Seiger had spoken to during their visit had been horrified by what happened and had shown genuine concern about the pursuit of justice for Lucy.
UK government takes an interest
Jane has also approached the UK Foreign Office for help.
Chris Elmore, the minister for the Americas, has now registered an interest in the case with US authorities on behalf of the British government.
For Jane, however, the campaign is far from over.
After returning to her home in Warrington this weekend, she made clear that she intends to continue pressing for the case to be reconsidered.
“I will keep on and keep on and keep on,” she said, determined to secure another look at the circumstances surrounding her daughter’s death.