Madison Burgess
A British woman was shot dead by her father following an argument about Donald Trump, an inquest has heard.
Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington, Cheshire, was staying with her father, Kris Harrison, and his family at their home in Prosper, Texas, in January last year.
She was joined by her boyfriend, Sam Littler, who made the overseas trip to America with her for a holiday.
At the inquest into her death, Littler told Cheshire Coroner's Court that Lucy was passionately anti-guns and would get upset with her dad when he talked about owning one.
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On January 10, the day the British couple were due to fly home, Littler explained there was a 'big' argument between Lucy and her dad about Trump and politics, as he was about to be inaugurated as president.
He told the court: "Kris and Lucy ended up having quite a big argument which led to Lucy running upstairs and being upset."
January 10 was the day Trump was sentenced to 'unconditional discharge', meaning he was spared jail time and a fine, after he was previously convicted on 34 counts relating to hush money paid to an adult-film star during the 2016 presidential election.
Littler added that Lucy had asked her father how he would feel if she was sexually assaulted.
He responded that he had two other daughters who lived with him, so it wouldn't upset him that much, according to Littler.
Then, about 30 minutes before they were due to leave for the airport, the inquest heard that Harrison took his daughter by the hand and led her into his ground-floor bedroom.
Roughly 15 minutes later, Littler said he heard a loud bang and then heard Lucy's dad screaming for his wife Heather.
Littler recalled: "I remember running into the room and Lucy was lying on the floor near the entrance to the bathroom and Kris was just screaming, just sort of nonsense."
Lucy, who worked for the fashion brand Boohoo, was described by her mum Jane Coates as a 'real force of life'.
She said: "She cared. She was passionate about things. She loved to have debates about things that meant a lot to her."
Mr Harrison did not attend the hearing but issued a statement via his solicitors, where he claimed that he and Lucy had been watching a news segment on gun crime on TV when he told her he had one and asked her if she wanted to see it.
She allegedly said yes and so they went into the bedroom, where he wanted to show her his Glock 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he kept in his bedside cabinet.
Mr Harrison claimed he didn't remember whether his finger was on the trigger or not when he took the gun out of the case.
He said: "As I lifted the gun to show her, I suddenly heard a loud bang. I did not understand what had happened. Lucy immediately fell."
Additionally, he talked about having problems with alcohol in the past and said he ‘briefly lapsed’ on the day of Lucy's death due to his emotions about her leaving, admitting he drank 500ml of white wine within two to three hours earlier that day.
In a statement issued by his solicitors, Mr Harrison 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.
"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."
The inquest heard that a grand jury in the US decided there was insufficient evidence to charge anyone in connection with Lucy's death.