🚨 HEARTBREAKING: Mum reveals the HORRIFYING midnight knock that shattered her world – learning her 23-year-old daughter had been SHOT DEAD by her own dad in Texas 😭🔫💔

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Jane Coates, the mother of 23-year-old Lucy Harrison, has spoken publicly about the devastating night she discovered her daughter had been fatally shot by her father during a visit to his home in Texas, describing a midnight knock on the door that delivered the unimaginable news.

The revelation came more than a year after the January 10, 2025, incident in Prosper, Texas, near Dallas. A UK coroner ruled on February 11, 2026, that Lucy died from an unlawful killing on the grounds of gross negligence manslaughter, rejecting her father Kris Harrison’s claim that the shooting was accidental.

Coates recounted the moment to the Liverpool Echo and other outlets following the inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court. Lucy, a fashion buyer from Warrington, Cheshire, and a Manchester Metropolitan University graduate, had traveled to the U.S. with her boyfriend, Sam Littler, on December 28, 2024, to visit her father and his family. She was scheduled to fly home the day she died.

“I was woken up around 2am on Saturday by Helen, Sam’s mum, knocking on the door,” Coates said. “I think, normally, you’d expect bad news from police – but this was Sam’s mum telling me Lucy was gone.” She had missed two phone calls from a U.S. detective at 1am, adding to the confusion and horror of the early-morning revelation.

The inquest heard that Lucy and her father argued intensely earlier that day about then-President-elect Donald Trump, who was days from his second inauguration. Littler testified that Lucy became upset after questioning her father: “How would you feel if I was the girl in that situation and I’d been sexually assaulted?” Kris reportedly replied that he had two other daughters and “wouldn’t be upset that much,” deeply hurting Lucy.

Tensions escalated over guns. Lucy, described as passionately anti-gun, often grew distressed when her father defended his ownership of firearms. Kris, characterized by the coroner as a “functioning alcoholic,” had consumed at least 500ml of wine that day. He later took Lucy to his bedroom to show her a Glock 9mm pistol he had purchased without training.

Fifteen seconds after entering the room alone with her, a single shot rang out. Lucy was struck in the chest from medium range. Kris claimed the gun “just went off” accidentally as he removed it from its case. Littler, who called 911, said Kris did not immediately admit to shooting her, even as emergency services were en route.

Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish rejected the accidental narrative. She ruled that firing the gun through Lucy’s chest while she stood required pointing it at her without checking for ammunition and pulling the trigger. “I find these actions to be reckless,” Devonish stated. “He knew full well he had shot his own daughter, pointing a gun at chest height and pulling the trigger.”

The coroner noted Kris’s lack of firearms training and described him as a “teaser” who may have shown the gun to provoke or rile Lucy amid the political dispute. No evidence suggested intent to kill, but gross negligence was clear.

In Texas, a Collin County grand jury declined to indict Kris Harrison in June 2025, meaning no criminal charges were filed. Lucy’s family criticized the decision as “baffling” and lacking rigor. Coates condemned aspects of the U.S. investigation, saying her daughter “deserved better” and that Texas gun laws failed to protect her in a place “where she should have been safe.”

Speaking outside court after the verdict, Coates fought back tears: “Today’s outcome has finally given Luce her voice back, after what has been an unrelenting year of deep shock, grief and fight.” She described Lucy as a “real force of life” who cared deeply, loved debates, and had “so much more of life to live, to love and to give.”

The family highlighted cultural differences in gun ownership between the U.K. and U.S., while emphasizing that Lucy’s death stemmed from recklessness amplified by alcohol and unresolved tensions. Littler recalled Lucy running upstairs upset after the argument, underscoring the emotional buildup.

Autopsy confirmed a single gunshot wound with no alcohol or drugs in Lucy’s system. Police bodycam footage captured Kris admitting to officers that he had shot her, though he maintained it was unintentional.

The case has sparked debate on both sides of the Atlantic about gun safety, family disputes turning deadly, and the role of alcohol in firearm incidents. While mass shootings dominate headlines, negligent discharges in domestic settings remain a persistent issue in the U.S., where gun ownership is widespread and training requirements vary.

Coates and supporters called for reflection on preventable risks. “Make change, do better, be better,” she urged, hoping Lucy’s story prompts awareness without politicizing the tragedy beyond its facts.

For Coates, the pain endures. The midnight knock marked the start of endless grief – a daughter lost to a moment of recklessness, a father whose actions ended her life, and a justice system that provided acknowledgment in the U.K. but no prosecution in Texas.

As the inquest closed, the focus returned to Lucy: a young woman full of passion, cut short in what should have been a family visit. Her mother’s words linger as a poignant reminder of love, loss, and the fragility of safety in moments of heated words and loaded weapons.