A 23‑year-old British woman was shot dead by her father after an argument about former US President Donald Trump, an inquest has heard.

Lucy Harrison, a fashion buyer from Warrington in Cheshire, was staying with her father, Kris Harrison, and his family at their home in Prosper, a Dallas suburb in Texas, in January last year when she died. The fatal shooting happened on 10 January 2025, shortly before she was due to fly back to the UK, the inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court was told.

Ms Harrison’s boyfriend, Sam Littler, travelled with her to Texas for the holiday and told the inquest she would often become upset with her father when he spoke about owning a gun. On the morning of 10 January, as the couple prepared to return home, Ms Harrison and her father argued about Donald Trump, who was due to be inaugurated for a second term later that month.

Mr Littler said:

“Kris and Lucy ended up having quite a big argument which led to Lucy running upstairs and being upset."

He told the court that Ms Harrison had asked her father how he would feel if she were sexually assaulted, and her father responded that he had two other daughters living with him so it “would not upset him that much,” the inquest heard.

About half an hour before they were due to leave for the airport, Mr Harrison took his daughter by the hand and led her into his ground‑floor bedroom, where he kept a Glock semi‑automatic handgun in a bedside cabinet. Mr Littler said he heard a loud bang around 15 seconds later and then heard his father screaming for his wife. He said:

“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."

Ms Harrison, who worked for a fashion brand, was described by her mother, 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 inquest, but a representative said it was “more akin to a criminal investigation than a fact‑finding inquiry”. The inquest also heard he had previously been to rehab for alcoholism.

Police in Prosper initially investigated the incident as possible manslaughter, but a grand jury in Texas declined to bring criminal charges in connection with Ms Harrison’s death, the court was told.

The coroner is continuing to examine the evidence and will provide a formal conclusion on the case, as the inquest seeks to clarify the events that led up to the tragic shooting.