'British illegal migrant traveller conman' shot dead in America by Vietnam veteran

A British illegal migrant accused of being a "travelling conman" was shot dead by an elderly Vietnam veteran in America.

Salis Hanrahan, 20, was shot inside 75-year-old George Barr's home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, last Wednesday.

Police said Mr Hanrahan, a member of the Irish traveller community from Essex, managed to flee outside the home with injuries to his chest - but died not long after being taken to hospital.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has now said Mr Hanrahan entered the country illegally.

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The 20-year-old had been denied his Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) after he was accused of being a member of the "Travelling Conmen Fraud Group".

The Travelling Conmen Fraud Group has been designated a Transnational Organised Crime group, according to the FBI's Terrorist Screening Centre.

Previous indictments allege the group forces homeowners to pay for unnecessary and often incomplete repairs.

Police last week said contractors were putting weatherboarding on the home around 2.15pm when a shot 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."

Investigators have not revealed further information about possible motives.

Neighbour Colleen Daily told ABC Philadelphia it was "shocking" and "surprising".

"It's crazy, it's crazy especially at this house. That was the last house I would think, you know," neighbour Jim Mulligan added.

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A DHS spokesman said neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) nor US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had encountered Mr Hanrahan.

Mr Barr was arrested and is now charged with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.

Neighbours told the US outlet that Mr Barr was a longtime resident of the area, a retired firefighter and a Vietnam veteran.

They added that construction crews had previously been working at home for several days without any problems.

Neigbour Erin Kelly said he was "always friendly".

"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," she added.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said: "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 (ESTA) as he was determined to have affiliation with 'The Travelling Conman Fraud Group,' a transnational criminal organisation."

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