A woman who was inside a car that pulled into the wrong driveway in upstate New York was shot and killed by the homeowner who fired at the vehicle.
Kaylin Gillis, 20, and three friends were headed to a home in rural Washington County on Saturday when they accidentally entered Kevin Monahan’s driveway in Hebron.
Monahan, 65, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, fired two shots from his porch at the car, one which struck Gillis who was still in the vehicle.
‘This is a very sad case of some young adults that were looking for a friend’s house and ended up at this man’s house,’ said Sheriff Jeff Murphy on Monday.
Monahan has been charged with second-degree murder.
A woman who was inside a car that pulled into the wrong driveway in upstate New York Saturday was shot and killed by the homeowner who fired at the vehicle without provocation
Kaylin Gillis, 20, and three friends were headed to a home in rural Washington County when they accidentally entered the wrong diveway in Hebron, New York
Kevin Monahan, 65, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, fired two shots from his porch at the car, one which struck Gillis who was still in the vehicle
During his press conference on Monday, Murphy spoke to a group of reporters and Gillis’ family.
The sheriff said the group did not initially realize they were at the wrong address but that they had started to pull out when the homeowner allegedly began shooting.
‘While they were leaving the residence, once they determine, they were at the wrong house, the subject came out on his porch, [and] for whatever reason and fired two shots. One which struck the vehicle that Kaylin was in,’ Murphy said.
Due to the incident happening in a rural area, the friends could not immediately call 911 for help.
The group had to drive miles to a nearby town in order to call first responders.
The Washington County sheriff said Monaham was taken into custody only after officers had a ‘back-and-forth’ with him.
‘He was uncooperative with patrols on the scene. After approximately more than an hour of talking back-and-forth, he was taken into custody,’ said Murphy.
The sheriff did not comment on the weapon used but said investigators do not believe Monahan had any reason to believe he was in danger.
‘There was no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened, especially as it appears the vehicles were leaving at the time,’ Murphy added.
He’s currently being held at the Warren County Jail.
The group had to drive miles to a nearby town in order to call first responders
‘I know for a fact that she comes from a good family. A very good family and I know them personally and she’s young girl that was taken way too young,’ Sheriff Jeff Murphy said
Friends remembered Gillis over the weekend as a gentle soul who loved animals
Friends remembered Gillis over the weekend as a gentle soul who loved animals.
‘I know for a fact that she comes from a good family. A very good family and I know them personally and she’s young girl that was taken way too young,’ Murphy said.
‘Kaylin Gillis, you will be greatly missed,’ wrote Chuchay Stark in a Facebook tribute.
‘I’ve known you since your Barbie days with my kids. Since then, you stayed a beautiful, sweet, and loving person,’ the post continued.
‘You are still the sweet and most loving child I know. You love dogs even though we all know that one particular dog was mean to you when you were younger,’ Stark wrote.
‘Kaylin, rest easy, I’m sure Roxie Roo is beside you now while you are looking down on us. Thank you for all the fun memories you shared with me, Lipsha, and Loren. I’m glad I had the pleasure of getting to know you,’ the post concludes.
A GoFundMe has since been started by friends to help cover funeral expenses.
The fundraiser has brought in just over $38,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Monday.
‘What a horrible tragedy. My deepest condolences,’ wrote one person who donated.
‘I remember Kaylin from when she was a toddler hanging out with us at our sleepovers. My thoughts are with the family,’ wrote another.
‘I am so terribly sorry to read this devastating news. This is the second GoFundMe donation today by me to the families of young people who mistakenly went to the wrong address. Enough,’ said one commenter.
The person who donated was referring to the recent shooting of 16-year-old musician and scholar Ralph Yarl in Kansas City, Missouri on Thursday.
‘ Kaylin Gillis, you will be greatly missed,’ wrote friend Chuchay Stark in a Facebook tribute
A GoFundMe has since been started by friends to help cover funeral expenses
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot twice in the head by a white man after he approached the wrong house by mistake when going to collect his siblings
Andrew Lester, 85, has been charged with two felony counts over the April 13 shooting of Ralph Yarl, which Kansas City prosecutors said was racially motivated
Zachary Thompson, Clay County prosecutor, announced charges against Andrew Lester on Monday afternoon
Ralph, center, was said to be trying to pick up his younger siblings from a friend’s house but went to the wrong address
Yarl, a black teen, was shot by an 85-year-old white homeowner whose doorbell Yarl rang after accidentally mistaking the home for the one he was set to pick up his siblings from.
Yarl was shot twice in the head, allegedly by local homeowner Andrew Lester through Lester’s locked door.
Lester has since been charged with first-degree assault.
‘I can tell you there was a racial component to the case,’ said Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson on Monday.
Lester’s bond is set at $200,000. If convicted, he could face life in prison for the assault charge.
