Officials in the US say Salis Hanrahan, 20, was part of a group they called “The Traveling Conman Fraud Group” and was working on the construction of the house of a retired firefighter
A British dad shot dead in the US is suspected of being part of an organised crime group, police say. Salis Hanrahan, 20, was part of a construction team working on retired fireman George Barr’s house in Philadelphia when he was shot in the chest.
Cops say Barr, 75, shot Hanrahan – said to be from Essex and of Irish traveller descent – who managed to make it out of the home and collapsed on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to his chest. He died not long after.
Officials say Hanrahan was believed to be working in the US illegally and was thought to be a member of a group they called “The Traveling Conman Fraud Group”. It is not clear when he entered the US.
The group has been designated as an organised crime gang by the FBI and is said to be made up of Irish and British scammers who overcharge victims for building work, which they never complete.
Investigators have offered no further details of whether they suspect Mr Hanrahan of targeting Mr Barr. He leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old daughter.
His wife Roseann shared an image of them both on social media, adding: “My beautiful husband I love you so much.
Police said last week that contractors were working on the back of Mr Barr’s home shortly after 2pm when a shot was fired from inside the house.
Philadelphia police captain James Kimrey said: “They heard arguments or some kind of commotion inside and then they found the boss outside.”
Barr’s neighbour Erin Kelly told NBC Philadelphia: “He’s always friendly. Every time I’ve encountered him. It’s just crazy that it happened here. It’s always quiet here, so for something to happen like this, it just shocked us all.”
Barr – a retired firefighter and Vietnam veteran who ran an unofficial neighbourhood watch – was charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person. A police investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security told MailOnline: “Salis Hanrahan was an illegal alien from the United Kingdom.
“He entered the country illegally on an unknown date and location and was denied Electronic System for Travel Authorization as he was determined to have affiliation with ‘The Traveling Conman Fraud Group’, a transnational criminal organization. ICE and CBP have never encountered this individual.”