Man wanted for shooting garda threatened to kill before

A man wanted for the attempted murder of a garda in New Orleans has a long arrest record, most recently spending time in prison for beating up a boy and his mother.

Melvin Galle also pleaded guilty to pointing a gun at the woman, believed to be a girlfriend, and her two children, the boy and a girl, and threatening to kill all three.

Mr Galle has been arrested numerous times over the last 15 years, mostly in Georgia, but spent less than two years in prison for the attacks in February and March 2011.

In 2001, he was arrested and charged in New Orleans with attempted first degree murder and armed robbery. The prosecutor dropped the charges.

Most recently, in November, the state of Georgia attempted unsuccessfully to extradite him from Louisiana on outstanding probation violations.

Police in New Orleans named Mr Galle as one of two men suspected of involvement in last week’s early morning shooting of Limerick-based Garda Brian Hanrahan.

Garda Hanrahan, 30, was shot multiple times and left for dead in the driveway of a house in the city.

He is recovering in hospital after surgery to remove a bullet from his lower spine.

His wife Emma Holland and his parents, Brian Sr and Rose Hanrahan, are with him in New Orleans.

On Sunday, the New Orleans Police Department named Mr Galle as one of two men suspected of being involved in last Tuesday’s shooting and a warrant has been issued for his arrest on a number of charges, including attempted murder.

A trawl of arrest and court records reveals the 40-year-old suspect has been arrested numerous times in Georgia since 2001.

While born in Louisiana, according to public records, it appears the violent felon has spent much of his time in recent years in the town of Norcross, Georgia, north of Atlanta.

He has been arrested for various offences but was first sent to state prison in 2008 after being convicted of drug possession, including of cocaine.

Though sentenced to 12 months, with time served in the county jail, he was released after two.

In March 2011, he was arrested following two incidents, described in reports as family violence and involving a woman and her two teenage children.

He later pleaded guilty to waving a firearm at all three, telling the woman: “I will end up killing you.”

According to public records, he also bit the woman and punched her.

Mr Galle hit the boy about the head and back with his closed fist and was initially accused of assaulting him with intent to murder.

He pleaded guilty in October 2011 to aggravated assault, battery, cruelty to children, making terroristic threats, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He was sentenced to between 12 months and two years on each of the 15 counts but all ran concurrently to the two years for the first count of aggravated assault. He was released in February 2013.

According to public records in New Orleans, he was arrested in the city as recently as last November on foot of the extradition warrant from Georgia.

The prosecutor in Orleans Parish declined to move on the extradition.