Shot garda faces €900k bill as he is set to come home

Brian Hanrahan (30) was on holidays in the US when he was shot several times - after refusing to hand over cash in a mugging in the early hours of January 27.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Mr Hanrahan has incurred medical costs of almost €900,000, but it is understood that insurance will cover at least part of any medical bills.

surgery

Local fundraising efforts in his hometown of Limerick and in New Orleans have taken place in order to help pay for his family's stay in the United States and to bring him home as soon as possible.

Following surgery to remove a bullet from his back, the father-of-one is reportedly doing well and is expected to come home soon.

"He is looking forward to coming home," a source and friend of Mr Hanrahan said.

"I understand that he is still under the care of the hospital.

"He's a strong fella and he will hopefully be back home imminently," the source said.

The source also said that the majority of fundraising efforts were being done to help get Mr Hanrahan home, as well as paying for hotel costs for his family.

According to the source, he did not know "where the reports of a medical bill of €900,000 were coming from" but that "he [Mr Hanrahan] may have insurance which should cover most of the costs anyway.

"His mother and his wife went over there and there are expenses incurred from the hotel they are staying in," he said.

On Friday, Mr Harahan's wife Emma Holland, and his mother Rose, were handed a debit card worth $2,000 by members of the New Jersey State and Port Authority Police Benevolent Associations to help pay for their travel costs and/or any associated hospital bills.

Earlier in the week two men were arrested by police investigating the shooting.

After being shot in the lower back and leg, Gda Hanrahan was saved when a woman found him lying injured because her dog wouldn't stop barking, according to a police report.

According to the report, "the victim stated an unknown black male approached from an unknown direction and asked the victim for money".

suspect

The victim replied "go f**k yourself", the report said.

"The suspect stated 'You think I'm playing?' and then shot the victim," it added.

Speaking about what happened that night, a friend of the family said: "He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. The sooner he comes home the better."

Garda Hanrahan and his wife both come from Killenaule in South Tipperary. They celebrated the birth of their first child Mia two years ago.

Following Garda Harahan's deployment to Limerick, the couple now work and live in the Newcastle West area of the county.

hnews@herald.ie