British illegal immigrant, 20, and suspected member of traveler conman gang is shot dead by Vietnam vet, 75, while working on his Philadelphia home, cops say
A British illegal immigrant suspected of being a member of a ‘traveller fraud group’ was shot dead by an elderly Vietnam veteran whose home he was working in, police said.
20-year-old Salis Hanrahan was killed last Wednesday at the home of 75-year-old George Barr in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hanrahan, a member of the Irish traveling community and from Essex, England, was reportedly working at Barr’s home as part of a construction crew when authorities said Barr shot him.
Police said Hanrahan managed to get out of the house and collapsed on the pavement with a gunshot wound to his chest, where he died soon after.
Government officials confirmed to the Daily Mail on Wednesday that Hanrahan was in the country illegally and entered the country after his visa was refused.
The statement said Hanrahan was rejected after authorities determined he was affiliated with what they described as the ‘Traveling Conman Fraud Group’. It is unclear where and when Hanrahan entered the United States.
Members of the ‘Roving Hustler Scam Group’, described by the FBI as an organized crime gang, are Irish fraudsters who overcharge victims for construction work which they then fail to complete.
Salis Hanrahan, pictured here with his wife Roseann, died last Wednesday after being shot inside a Philadelphia home.
Hanrahan was working with a construction crew and said they heard a commotion. Hanrahan then left the house and collapsed on the sidewalk.
Investigators did not provide further details about Hanrahan’s alleged ties to organized crime or whether they suspected he was targeting Barr.
He leaves behind his wife Roseann and their one-year-old daughter. Roseann shared his photo on social media saying, “My beautiful husband, I love you so much.”
Police said last week that contractors were out doing siding on the home when shots were fired from inside the home shortly after 2 p.m.
Philadelphia police Capt. James Kimrey told reporters: ‘They heard an argument or some kind of commotion inside and then found the boss outside.’
‘He’s always friendly,’ neighbor Erin Kelly told NBC Philadelphia. Every time I meet him.
‘It’s so crazy that this is happening here. It’s always quiet here, so it shocked us all when something like this happened.’
Others said he was a retired firefighter, Vietnam veteran, and ran an unofficial neighborhood watch.
Barr was arrested and charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and recklessly endangering another person.
Barr appeared in court last Friday and is due back in court later this month, according to court records seen by the Daily Mail.
Hanrahan is part of the traveling community and is originally from Essex in the east of England.
Police said last week that contractors had gone out to do siding on the house shortly after 2 p.m., when shots were fired from inside the house.
He appeared in court last Friday and is due back in court later this month, according to court records seen by the Daily Mail. It is unclear whether he made the bet.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesman said: ‘Salis Hanrahan was an illegal alien from the United Kingdom.
‘He entered the country illegally at an unknown date and location and was denied an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) as he was determined to be affiliated with ‘The Traveling Conman Fraud Group’, an international criminal organisation. ICE and CBP have never encountered this individual.’
The Daily Mail has contacted Philadelphia Police and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in the UK for an update on their investigation.
