Flares were let off as mourners gathered in London to celebrate what would have been the 21st birthday of a British illegal immigrant who was shot dead in the US after allegedly trying to con a pensioner.
Irish traveller Salis Hanrahan, from Essex, was fatally shot aged 20 on July 8 inside the home of ex-firefighter George Barr, 75, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Hanrahan was reportedly working on Barr’s house as part of a construction team in the days before his death. Local reports suggest he was shot after trying to charge the American £51,800 for repairs on the £190,000 property.
The Briton had entered the US illegally after being denied a visa because government officials determined that he was affiliated with the ‘The Travelling Conman Fraud Group’.
Members of that organised crime gang, as it has been designated by the FBI, are known for overcharging victims for building work which they have failed to complete.
Hanrahan collapsed on a pavement outside Barr’s home in the Roxborough neighbourhood of Philadelphia – and later died in hospital from a gunshot wound to his chest.
The traveller’s body has since been repatriated back to London, where more than a hundred mourners gathered today in his memory.
Hanrahan’s body arrived at a west London funeral parlour in a £500,000 Rolls Royce as friends and family let balloons into the sky and held placards reading: ‘RIP Salis’.
Irish traveller Salis Hanrahan (left) is thought to have been shot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, last week while completing construction work on a pensioner’s home
Hundreds of mourners gathered in west London to celebrate what would have been Hanrahan’s 21st birthday on Monday
The deceased’s body arrived at a funeral parlour near Hanwell in a Rolls Royce thought to be worth £500,000
Mourners appeared to have parked their vehicles across the street causing grid-locked traffic
Footage showed plumes of red and white smoke billowing into the sky after flares were let off on the busy road.
Mourners parked their vehicles across the street causing grid-locked traffic, and cars could be heard tooting their horns as crowds set up pictures of Hanrahan on the pavement.
One showed a picture of the 20-year-old posing with his thumbs up, with golden messages surrounding his image reading: ‘Happy 21st birthday Salis Hanrahan.’
Barr, Hanrahan’s alleged killer, has been charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.
He has not yet entered a plea and is being held at a Pennsylvania prison after being remanded into custody.
Hanrahan appears to have wed his wife Roseann just months before his death, and the couple shared a one-year-old daughter together. Roseann posted on social media after his passing: ‘My beautiful husband. I love you so much.’
US police said last week that contractors were fitting sliding doors on Barr’s home shortly after 2pm on July 8 when gunfire was heard.
Philadelphia police Captain James Kimrey told reporters: ‘They heard arguments or some kind of commotion inside and then they found the boss outside.’
Local outlet KYW said that the victim had been ‘asking for more money’ every day prior to his death.
Hanrahan was ‘an illegal alien from the United Kingdom’, the US Department of Homeland Security said, and entered the country without a work permit.
Balloons were lifted into the sky and friends and family held banners reading: ‘RIP Salis’
Placards of the 20-year-old were set up outside the funeral parlour
George Barr, 75, has been charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person
A spokesman said: ‘He entered the country illegally on an unknown date and location and was denied Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) as he was determined to have affiliation with ‘The Traveling Conman Fraud Group’, a transnational criminal organization’.
The victim’s family hit out at his alleged killer in the days after he was killed, describing Barr as ‘evil’ and ‘scum’.
A relative called Paddy Hanrahan posted a news story about the incident on Facebook, writing: ‘Please look at the evil in he’s [sic] face. He couldn’t even give a reason why he done it. He cold-bloodedly killed him for nothing’.
Friend Martina McCarthy responded: ‘I said the same u can see the evil behind his eyes rip salis [sic]’.
Another friend, Michelle Bas, wrote: ‘He needs to rot in jail!!!’
Hanrahan’s sister Lisa-Marie posted a picture of Barr and wrote: ‘The scum that took my baby brother lord pls why us.’
Others, however, were quick to show their support for the 75-year-old.
One local woman wrote: ‘Free George Barr, NOW! He is a retired Philadelphia Firefighter and a hero from [the] Vietnam War’.
Another woman posted: ‘I have known George for a very long time. Frankly, I can’t believe this. Always been so kind to me and my daughters’.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Tommy McKiernan, the vice president of the Philadelphia firefighter’s union, said that Barr joined the Fire Department in 1989 and retired in 2015, having last served at Ladder 11 in the South of the city.
McKiernan said that Barr’s wife Angela, who he married years after they began dating, had died in September.
He said: ‘He was an exceptional firefighter and this is something that’s way out of character for him.
‘I don’t know if he was diagnosed with PTSD from Vietnam but it’s likely something from being a firefighter, maybe a combination of the two.
Police said last week that contractors were putting sliding doors on Barr’s home (pictured) shortly before Hanrahan’s death
‘I wasn’t there when it happened so I don’t know if any of that was triggered.
‘George isn’t the kind of guy who would just pull a gun out and shoot somebody. I’m wondering if there was a confrontation, maybe it got physical. I’m hoping it’s self-defence.
‘I’ve never seen him angry or argumentative. He was in control. That was not his character to get mad or confrontational.
‘The only time I saw him angry is if we had jobs back in the day and somebody got killed on the job’.
Court documents showed that the Travelling Conmen Fraud Group, of which Hanrahan was believed to be a part, is made up of UK or Irish nationals who enter the US on tourist visas and overstay. Others, however, enter the country illegally.
The documents state: ‘Once in the United States, Travelers go to different cities and states, soliciting construction work.
‘This is sometimes done door-to-door, by knocking and introducing themselves to homeowners, usually elderly individuals, claiming to have extra materials left over from a prior job or noticing a defect or damage to the home that needs to be repaired immediately.
‘The members often quote a low price, and then, after further inspection, demand much more money.
‘Travelers usually start with a small job (such as fixing brick entry steps or re-pointing chimneys) and then convince homeowners that their homes need major repairs, such as foundation work or waterproofing.
‘At this point, the Travelers overcharge homeowners and sometimes intimidate homeowners into paying them up front for work that is not completed.’
Barr’s family did not return calls and texts asking for comment.
The Philadelphia Police Department confirmed that Barr had been charged and that a firearm was recovered at the scene.
Its statement said: ‘The investigation remains active and is being conducted by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit.’
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