// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
UK has 'no authority' over case of woman killed by father in US
Lucy Harrison was killed at her father's home in Texas but no criminal case was ever brought
The mother of a British woman who was shot and killed by her father in Texas has been told that police in the UK have "no lawful authority to intervene" as the family tries to find answers.
Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington was shot in the chest on 10 January 2025 in Prosper, Dallas - found by a UK coroner to be an unlawful killing.
However, no criminal case was brought against her father Kris Harrison, after a grand jury in Collin County declined to indict him.
Lucy's mother Jane Coates wrote to Cheshire Police urging them to "gather evidence" here locally, and then "liaise" with US authorities - but the force has responded and said it was "constrained" by law and jurisdiction.
In a letter to Coates, 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 decisions taken by those agencies."
Last month, Coates flew to Texas in a bid to meet the district attorney in Collin County and to call on him to reinstate the investigation but was told he would not speak to her.
Jane Coates wrote to Cheshire Constabulary to ask if they would liaise with Prosper Police
The grand jury had decided there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges after Kris Harrison said the Glock handgun discharged accidentally while he was showing it to his daughter.
In February, a coroner in England concluded Lucy had been unlawfully killed, finding that her father's actions amounted to gross negligence manslaughter under UK law.