A 20-year-old British national who was shot dead at a home in Philadelphia last week was affiliated with an international criminal organisation and had entered the United States illegally after being denied travel authorisation, NBC10 Philadelphia reported.
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Salis Hanrahan was killed on July 8 in Philadelphia's Roxborough neighbourhood. Officers responded to a shooting at a home on Ripka Street, where Hanrahan was found with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries.
Homeowner charged with murder
Philadelphia police arrested the property's owner, 75-year-old George Barr, two days after the shooting. Authorities charged him with murder, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.
Witnesses told NBC10 they heard an argument inside the house before Hanrahan emerged from the property and collapsed on the pavement. Investigators also recovered a firearm from the scene.
DHS details immigration status
In a statement to NBC10, a DHS spokesperson said Hanrahan, a UK citizen, had been refused Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) after officials identified him as being linked to a group known as the "Travelling Conman Fraud Group."
According to DHS, Hanrahan later entered the United States illegally. The department also said neither U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nor U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had previously encountered him.
Alleged fraud network
The DHS described the Travelling Conman Fraud Group as a transnational criminal organisation made up of British and Irish nationals accused of carrying out construction fraud and money laundering schemes across multiple U.S. states.
According to the department, members of the group approached homeowners with low-cost construction offers before allegedly carrying out fraudulent operations.
