‘Following the conclusions reached by Senior Coroner Devonish on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at the inquest into the death of my girlfriends, Lucy Harrison, I have taken time to process the evidence heard and the findings that were made,’ he said.
‘I would like to continue from Jane’s original statement and add my own reflections based on my experience in Texas and everything that followed.
‘I recognise that the UK and Texas operate under different legal systems and firearms laws. I also appreciate the challenges faced by all agencies involved in responding to a traumatic incident.
‘However, aspects of the evidence heard during the inquest, including the findings recorded by the coroner regarding the handling of the firearm, alcohol consumption, and the absence of blood alcohol or breathalyser testing, have left me with my continuing questions and concerns about the circumstances surrounding Lucy’s death and the investigation that followed.
‘My comments are intended only to reflect my personal experience and understanding of the evidence heard at the inquest.
‘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 January 10, 2025. I had held concerns for over a year which I chose not to express publicly, placing my trust in the UK’s coroner’s process.
‘Based on the evidence presented, the coroner found that Kris had been consuming alcohol without the knowledge of anyone 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 those actions as reckless.
‘The coroner also identified inconsistencies within aspects of Kris’ account of events. In her conclusions, the coroner stated that she did not accept aspect of Kris’ statement, including Kris’ account that the gun had ‘just gone off’, references to a television segment about gun crime, which is consistent with everything I knew about her and her strong views on firearms.
‘As a family, we did not have the opportunity to hear Kris answer questions directly before the coroner, as he chose not to attend the UK inquest, explaining that it was too emotionally difficult for him to do so.
‘However, he did submit a late written statement, made an application seeking the coroner’s recusal and issued statements to media outlets on the same day. I personally struggled to understand the decision not to attend the inquest while issuing public statements on the same day.
‘I agree with the coroner’s conclusions and the findings reached at the inquest. Hearing the evident in full was devastating, but it confirmed many of the concerns I had carried privately since Lucy’s death.
‘The corner found that Kris had been drinking continuously on January 10, 2025, and had also admitted to drinking the day before, without the knowledge of anyone else in the household.
‘One of the hardest things for me to live with is that, during my 911 call, I did not know Lucy had been shot. I was trying to explain an emergency without understanding what had actually happened. That confusion, and the delay in understanding the true nature of the situation has stayed with me ever since.
‘Although I was in shock immediately after the shooting, I remember feeling confused by Kris’ behaviour in those moments. His demeanour, as seen in the bodycam footage shown during the inquest, has remained difficult for me to understand and process.
‘The footage also captured a moment where someone said, ‘They were due to go back today’, to which the response heard was, ‘Well they’re not now.’
‘That exchange remains one of the most painful parts of the footage for me to revisit.
‘When Kris was taken outside, an officer asked whether he had been drinking alcohol. His initial response was to deny it. After the officer stated that he could smell alcohol on his breath, Kris then acknowledged that he had consumed alcohol.
‘During my own interview with investigators, I had also raised concerns about Kris’ previous issues with alcohol. Despite officers being aware that alcohol had been consumed, and despite Kris being the only other person in the room when Lucy was shot, no breathalyser or blood alcohol test was carried out.
‘I was later informed that officers did not believe there was probably cause because he did not appear impaired. Given the seriousness of the incident, I struggled to understand why objective testing was not undertaken at this time.
‘I was not allowed to go with Lucy in the ambulance. Instead, I was placed in the back of a police car for more than two hours without any updates, despite repeatedly asking for information about her condition. During that time, I was asked to write a statement alone in the back of the police car, while still not knowing whether Lucy was alive.
‘A few hours later, I was told that Kris and I were being taken to the police station for further interviews, again without being given any information about Lucy. When we arrived, Kris was taken into one room, and I was placed in another.
‘While waiting, I could hear part of a phone conversation through a door nearby. I heard someone discussing what had happened and referring to it as an ‘accident’, along with comments about the uncertainty over whether the bullet had passed through fatally.
‘The conversation was muffled and I could not hear everything clearly, but at the time it left me concerned that preliminary assumptions about the circumstances may already have been developing before my own account had been fully obtained.
‘Shortly afterwards, I was taken into another room just as Kris was leaving. He looked at me and said, ‘Everything is going to be alright’ before attempting to place his arm around my shoulder. I moved away.
‘There was no discussion of what had happened, only that comment, moments before I was told that my girlfriend had died.
‘I was informed by a Texas Ranger that Lucy had died. I was then given only a few minutes before being asked further questions.
‘Before describing that interview, I feel it is important to explain the position I was in at the time. I was 23 years old, alone in Texas, and had just been told that my girlfriend had died.
‘I also understood that Kris had already been released. From my perspective, it felt as though the situation was already being viewed as a ‘terrible accident’ before I was questioned as a witness.
‘At the time, some of the questions appeared, from my perspective, to focus on confirming particular points. I raised concerns about Kris’ alcohol use, including his previous issues with alcohol. I was later informed by the District Attorney’s Office that it had not met the threshold for alcohol testing.
‘After the interview, I was asked to call Lucy’s mum, Jane, to inform her of Lucy’s death. I found this extremely distressing. When she did not answer, I was asked to call my own mum and ask her to go to Jane’s house.
‘I was advised to say, ‘there has been a terrible accident, Lucy has been shot and is no longer with us.’
‘I was then told that I would need to return to the Harrison household, where the shooting had taken place. I explained that I did not want any contact with Kris and did not feel comfortable returning to the house that night. Even in the immediate shock and trauma of what had happened, I knew I did not feel able to go back there. I asked instead to remain at the station.
‘A volunteer chaplain then offered for me to stay with him and his family, which I accepted on the understanding that my location would not be shared with Kris. He supported me throughout the night and took me to the airport the following morning.
‘I remain deeply grateful for the kindness and compassion he showed me during one of the worst moments of my life.
‘When I returned to the UK, I was in shock and unable to speak in detail about what had happened for several days. Around two weeks later, I began speaking to my mum about some of the concerns I had been left with following Lucy’s death.
‘It was not until February 14, 2025, that we finally had contact with the District Attorney’s Office, after we had reached out ourselves. During those discussions, we were advised that they had been waiting for the family to make contact, partly because a number of UK journalists had already contacted their office. From my perspective, it left me uncertain as to whether those conversations would have otherwise taken place.
‘During a later call in March 2025, involving the District Attorney, a First Prosecutor and a Texas Ranger, several basic details relating to Lucy, including aspects of her personal circumstances were stated incorrectly. As a bereaved family, we found this upsetting and difficult to understand.
‘During that same discussion, the Texas Ranger stated that, on arriving at the scene, his initial impression had been that it looked like a homicide investigation. When I asked questions about positioning and measurements taken at the scene, I was told, ‘This isn’t like CSI on the television.’
‘I personally found that response dismissive, particularly given the seriousness of the circumstances and the questions we were trying to understand.
‘During the call, I also raised an argument that had taken place on the morning of Lucy’s death, which I later referred to in my statement to the UK coroner’s inquest. I was told that I had not mentioned this during my original interview.
‘At the time of that interview, I had described it as ‘normal family matters’, which reflected how I understood those exchanges at the time, as disagreements and tensions within the household were not unusual during my visits.
‘I explained that I had been interviewed only minutes after being informed that Lucy had died and had not been contacted again afterwards to clarify or expand upon my account. I returned to the UK the following day and was not further contacted by US authorities in the weeks that followed.
‘I recognise that the Grand Jury process in Texas is confidential and that no criminal charge was brough. 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.
‘For example, I do not know whether the Grand Jury was provided with evidence relating to alcohol consumption that, according to the coroner’s findings, was unknown to others in the household the CCTV footage showing Kris purchasing two 500ml cartons of wine approximately two hours before the shooting, or the post-mortem findings regarding the downward trajectory of the bullet.
‘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 bloodstaining near the entrance to the en-suite bathroom.
‘Based solely 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. I do not know whether the Grand Jury was informed that the firearm was doing to be in full working order, or that the bullet itself was never recovered.
‘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.
‘Everything I have said reflects my own personal experience, recollection and understanding of the evidence heard during the UK inquest and the findings made by the coroner.
‘I recognise that the legal process in Texas concluded without criminal charges being brought. Nothing in this statement is intended to suggest otherwise.
‘I will not be making any further public comment at this time.’
