UK police left powerless after father shot British daughter dead in Texas over Donald Trump row

The force was asked to assess evidence that was yet to be investigation, such as recently resurfaced messages on the victim’s phone.

The family said they have “serious concerns” over the US probe, but the constabulary said they lacked “lawful authority” to intervene.

The fashion buyer from Warrington was fatally shot in the chest by her father, Kris, at his Texas home in Prosper on January 10 2025 after an argument about Donald Trump, the day before she was going to fly back to the UK.

But, after the killing, a grand jury in Collin County decided there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Mr Harrison.

Before the jury, he claimed his handgun discharged accidentally as he was showing it to his daughter.

In February earlier this year, a Cheshire coroner said Ms Harrison was unlawfully killed and that Mr Harrison’s actions amounted to gross negligence manslaughter in the UK.

Now, Cheshire Constabulary said “significant operational, evidential and jurisdictional barriers” stopped the force from intervening in the American case.

In a letter to Ms Harrison’s family, Deputy Chief Constable Mike Evans said: “Whilst we may share the family’s concerns and understand their desire for further scrutiny, we have no lawful authority to intervene in decision taken by those agencies.

“I hope the family can be assured that Cheshire Constabulary has never viewed this matter with indifference.

“We recognise the profound loss they have suffered and understand why they continue to seek answers.

“However, whilst we have great sympathy for the family’s position, we are ultimately constrained by legal, jurisdictional and practical realities that significantly limit what any police force in England and Wales can do in relation to a death that occurred in the United States.”

Radd Seiger, a spokesman for Ms Harrison’s family in the UK, said they had not been requesting the force to take over the case – just to consider extra information.

The family believes messages found in a recent download of her phone are “relevant to understanding the circumstances leading up to her death”.

He added: “This is evidence that the family believe should have been obtained and examined as part of the original investigation in Texas.

“The family have spent nearly two years trying to get answers about Lucy’s death and justice for her.

“They are not prepared to accept that the investigation is complete simply because the American authorities have decided not to take the matter further.

“They want the evidence properly examined, the unanswered questions addressed and the authorities to make their decisions on the basis of all the relevant information, rather than evidence which is so obviously incomplete.

“That is all the family are asking for. A proper examination of the evidence, and a fair opportunity for the outstanding questions surrounding Lucy’s death to be answered.”

Ms Harrison’s mother, Jane Coates, has long-campaigned for justice for her daughter, repeatedly urging US authorities to reopen the case.

She said she felt “deserted by the British authorities” throughout the campaign, calling on the Government to throw its weight behind her case.