23-Year-Old Girl, Lucy Harrison, Passes Away After Argument with Father over Donald Trump

What began as a family holiday in Texas ended in a tragedy that has left two countries stunned. But the most shocking detail? It all started with a political debate.

Lucy Harrison, 23, had travelled from Warrington, Cheshire, to visit her father in Prosper, near Dallas, earlier this year. Just hours later, she was dead from a single gunshot wound to the chest…

A Political Row That Spiraled

According to an inquest heard at Cheshire Coroner's Court and reported by the BBC, Lucy and her father, Kris Harrison, had been locked in a "big argument" about Donald Trump, who was preparing for his second inauguration at the time.

Her boyfriend, Sam Littler, who had travelled with her, told the court that politics wasn't the only sensitive topic, as Lucy would often become upset when her father spoke about owning a gun.

On the morning of January 10, 2026, tensions escalated dramatically…

During the heated exchange, Lucy asked her father a haunting question:

"How would you feel if I was [sic] the girl in that situation and I'd been sexually assaulted?"

The courtroom heard that Kris responded by saying he had two other daughters who lived with him, so it would not upset him that much. Lucy, understandably devastated, became "quite upset" and ran upstairs. But the day wasn't over…

Led Into the Bedroom and Then… Bang

Roughly half an hour before Lucy and Sam were due to leave for the airport, she was in the kitchen when her father took her by the hand and led her into his ground-floor bedroom.

According to Sam, fifteen seconds later, a loud bang rang out, followed by Kris screaming for his wife, Heather. When Sam rushed in, Lucy was lying on the floor near the bathroom entrance, while her father was "just screaming, just sort of nonsense."

Contradictingly, in a statement read to the court, Kris implied the shooting was accidental, as he said he and Lucy had been watching a news item about gun crime when he mentioned he owned a Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun and asked if she wanted to see it.

The weapon, which he had bought a couple of years ago, he said, was kept in his bedside cabinet for a "sense of security." Then came his chilling account: "As I lifted the gun to show her [sic] I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened."

Wine, Relapse, and CCTV

He added that Lucy "immediately fell" and admitted he could not recall whether his finger was on the trigger. Kris also denied ever speaking about the gun with his daughter. Upon peeling back more layers, the inquest revealed troubling details about the hours leading up to the shooting.

Kris, who moved to the U.S. when his daughter was a child, had previously been to rehab for alcohol addiction, and admitted he had relapsed that fateful day. He told the court he had drunk about 500ml of white wine because he was emotional about Lucy leaving.

Police officer Luciana Escalera, who was called to the house after the shooting, testified she noticed the smell of alcohol on his breath, and CCTV footage showed he had purchased two 500ml cartons of Chardonnay from a 7-Eleven shortly before 1 p.m.

Courtroom Tensions Rise

As legal tensions rose in court, Kris's solicitor even applied for the coroner to recuse herself, arguing the inquest felt "more akin to a criminal investigation than a fact-finding inquiry."

On the flipside, the representative for Lucy's mom, Jane Coates, Lois Norris, deemed the application an "ambush by Mr. Harrison's legal team."

A 'Force of Life' Remembered

Lois also stipulated that Kris was the "person in the room who shot Ms Harrison" and that he was the only one in the room when it occurred. The recusion request was denied. Meanwhile, Lucy's bereaved mom, Jane, 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," Jane said. Lucy worked as a buyer for fashion brand Boohoo and was remembered as warm, witty, and full of conviction.

In a separate statement reported by Sky News, Kris said, "I fully accept the consequences of my actions, and 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 and I know that nothing I say can ease the heartbreak this tragedy has caused."

"I cannot undo what happened, but I can honour Lucy by being the best father I can be to her sisters and by carrying her memory forward in everything we do," he added. "I am deeply sorry for the pain others feel from this tragedy. Lucy's spirit - her warmth, her humour, her kindness - will live on in all of us who loved her."

A Shocking Decision

But here is the twist that has left many reeling...

Despite police initially investigating Lucy's death as a possible case of manslaughter, no criminal charges were ever brought against Kris, as a grand jury in Collin County, Texas, declined to indict him.

That decision means the man who shot his daughter will not face a criminal trial. The inquest has been adjourned until some time today (Wednesday), when conclusions from the coroner are expected to be delivered.

And for many following this devastating case, one painful question lingers: how did a political argument, a glass of wine, and a gun in a bedside drawer turn into a life cut heartbreakingly short?

At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Jane, Sam, Lucy's sisters, her entire family, friends, loved ones, and all who knew and loved her, as they mourn such a significant loss. We hope for their healing amid their time of grief. RIP, dear Lucy.