Lucy Harrison was shot by her dad while visiting him in Texas with her boyfriend - her partner has spoken publicly for the first time following an inquest into her death10:25, 21 May 2026Updated 10:25, 21 May 2026The boyfriend of a young British woman shot dead by her own dad while visiting him in the US said he heard what happened for the "first time" in a UK court.‌Lucy Harrison, 23, was shot in the chest by her dad Kris Harrison while she and her boyfriend had been visiting at his home in Texas. The couple had arrived days after Christmas, on December 28, 2024, but Lucy was fatally shot days later on January 10, just before the pair were due to go to the airport and fly home.‌A grand jury in Texas later declined to indict the dad over the death, and no criminal case was brought over him. Lucy's boyfriend Sam Littler has since questioned whether a grand jury was given all the evidence by police when deciding not to pursue charges.‌READ MORE: 'My daughter was shot dead by her father - police need to reopen the case'READ MORE: Influencer accused of 'plotting with dad to hire dark web hitman and have boy band singer ex killed'An inquest into Lucy's death at Cheshire Coroner's Court, on February 11, heard how the 23-year-old's dad Kris had taken her by the hand into his bedroom shortly before he was due to drive her and Sam to the airport.The boyfriend told the court that around 15 seconds later he heard a bang before Mr Harrison shouted his wife Heather's name. Sam, Mrs Harrison, her two daughters, and a neighbour who was in the home, ran to the downstairs bedroom where they found Lucy's body on the floor, just before 3pm.‌The coroner found Lucy had been unlawfully killed, with no one prosecuted when a grand jury reviewed the evidence in June last year.Sam has now spoken publicly for the first time since the inquest and revealed some of the information shared in the UK court had been the "first time" he heard it in a "formal legal setting", according to the Liverpool Echo.‌Sam said: "The information shared in the coroner's court was the first time I had heard, in a formal legal setting, a clear account of what was believed to have happened on 10 January 2025. I had held concerns for over a year which I chose not to express publicly placing my trust in the UK coroner's process."Based on the evidence presented, the coroner found that Kris had been consuming alcohol without the knowledge of anyone else in the household before taking Lucy into a bedroom, where she died from a gunshot wound to the chest.‌"The coroner stated that this would have required the gun to have been pointed in Lucy's direction from across the room, without checking whether it was loaded, before the trigger was pulled. The coroner described these actions as reckless."He continued: "I agree with the coroner's conclusions and findings reached at the inquest. Hearing the evidence in full was devastating, but it confirmed many of the concerns I had carried privately since Lucy's death."‌Senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish, when summing up the case, described Mr Harrison as a "functioning alcoholic" and highlighted his drinking ahead of the fatal incident. She said: "I find that Kris Harrison did not immediately tell the truth about his drinking to those representing him."The USA police confirm that Kris Harrison smelt of alcohol and eventually admitted drinking continuously since the morning, and then after lunch when he attended the 7-Eleven on the pretence of solely collecting cookies. He was a secret drinker having left home to collect cookies and insisting he should go out alone. It was irresponsible of him to plan to drive Lucy and Sam to the airport that afternoon, in the circumstances.‌"I am left in no doubt whatsoever that he had been drinking continuously on January 10. This was normal for him and he could function. No-one in the family suspected that he had been drinking that day."The coroner continued: "I accept he did not load the magazine into the handgun. I accept that he did not know the gun was loaded. I do not accept that the gun just went off as he removed it from the box. This is due to the room layout and location in which Lucy’s body was found."To shoot her through the chest whilst she was standing would have required him to have been pointing the gun at his daughter without checking for bullets and pulled the trigger. I find this action to be reckless."‌Sam shared that he had called the emergency services but "did not know Lucy had been shot". He added: "I was trying to explain an emergency without understanding what had actually happened. That confusion, and the delay in understanding the nature of the situation, has stayed with me ever since."Concluding his lengthy statement published on social media, Sam said: "I recognise that the Grand Jury process in Texas is confidential and that no criminal charge was brought. I do not know exactly what evidence was presented. I have therefore been left with seeking further understanding following the evidence heard during the UK inquest."Article continues belowHe questioned whether the grand jury "was provided with evidence relating to alcohol consumption" including "CCTV footage showing Kris purchasing two 500ml cartons of wine approximately two hours before the shooting". He added: "I also do not know whether they were shown the bedroom diagram Included within the UK inquest bundle, which recorded the location of the bullet casing near the bedside table, the location of the firearm near the opposite lower corner of the bed and blood-staining near the entrance to the en-suite bathroom."Based soley on my understanding of the evidence presented during the inquest, I personally struggled to reconcile the physical evidence shown in that diagram with the account that Lucy had been standing beside Kris when the gun was removed from its case."Explaining why he has spoken out now, Sam wrote: "Prior to the inquest, I respected the need for confidentiality and chose not to speak publicly. I now feel that it is the right time for me to honour Lucy in the way that feels right to me, and to use my voice to speak about both my experience and the evidence heard during the inquest."