No criminal charges over British woman shot dead in US
US authorities have said no criminal charges will be made over the death of a British woman who was shot during a holiday.Lucy Harrison, 23, from Warrington, was visiting her father in the town of Prosper in Texas when she was fatally wounded on 10 January.The local district attorney's office confirmed "the grand jury voted a no-bill, which means there will be no criminal charges related to the death".In a tribute released to the Warrington Guardian, Ms Harrison's mother Jane Coates said: "Although we have tried so hard to prepare for this moment, it is a brutal outcome to accept."
The exact circumstances of how Ms Harrison was shot have not been publicly revealed. A heavily redacted police report previously said a suspect had been identified by officers, along with five witnesses, at her father's property.
'No accountability'
Ms Coates said a grand jury, which had since reviewed the case, "concluded that the evidence didn't meet the threshold for criminal charges"."This means that, as far as they are concerned, there will be no criminal charges for the person who shot Lucy."She added her family found it "baffling and beyond comprehension" that there would be "no accountability for what happened to my daughter"."The international element, coupled with a different legal system, practice and thresholds, makes the outcome even harder and more frustrating to accept."Along with Ms Harrison's partner, Sam Littler, she said she would "welcome learning more from communities and groups in Texas who are working to prevent gun deaths".Ms Coates added her daughter, who studied sociology and took part in college debates, would have been a "fierce advocate of this".
UK inquest
Mr Littler, who met Ms Harrison when they attended the same school, said: "This outcome has left us baffled, heartbroken and it has been incredibly frustrating to understand the thresholds and legal system in Texas."He said he was "one of the very fortunate ones who met 'their person' at a very young age and I will be forever grateful to experience that, even for just one minute"."Like Jane, I miss the smiles, the belly laughs, and how passionate and driven she was when she talked about her work."A UK coroner is due to hold an inquest over Ms Harrison's death at a later date, Ms Coates said.About 400 people attended her daughter's funeral at a church in Warrington, where the young couple had recently bought a home.
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