Woman, 20, fatally shot by upstate NY homeowner after pulling into wrong driveway: sheriff
ByDavid Propper and
Reuven Fenton
April 17, 2023 7:27pm
Updated
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Kaylin Gillis, from Saratoga County, was inside the vehicle with three pals when they made a wrong turn into a driveway while searching for a friend’s house in the town of Hebron, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
As the driver of the car was leaving, Kevin Monahan, the owner of the home the group accidentally pulled up to, allegedly fired two shots from his patio at the vehicle, authorities said.
Gillis was struck by one of the bullets.
Monahan, 65, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said during a Monday press conference.
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“This is a very sad case of some young adults who were looking for a friend’s house and ended up at this man’s house who decided to come out with a firearm and discharge it,” Murphy said.
After the gunshots rang out around 10 p.m., Gillis and the friends drove away until they could call for help in a neighboring town, Murphy said, noting the area lacks reliable cellphone service.
Gillis was pronounced dead when first responders reached the car.
“She was just so young and she still had so much to live for. She had a very loving boyfriend, and she was so in love with him,” Gillis’ cousin Haleigh Eustis, 20, told The Post Monday night.
Victim Kaylin Gillis was killed Saturday night after the driver of the car she was riding in turned into the wrong driveway, according to police.GoFundMe“I can’t imagine how he feels right now. I know they were attached at the hip. And she had a very loving family. It’s just a loving, big family, and she had such a strong backbone from being a part of this family. And I feel so much anger that she can’t have that anymore.”
The homeowner and group of friends in the car did not interact, Murphy said.
The group of friends also never left the car, Murphy added.
The house in Ebron, New York where the shooting took place.Angus MordantIt’s unclear how long the car was in the driveway, but Murphy noted it was only a “very short time.”
The area where the shooting took place is very rural with many dirt roads where it’s “easy to get lost,” Murphy said.
“There’s clearly no threat from anyone in the vehicle,” Murphy said. “There’s no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened.”
Alleged shooter Kevin Monahan was charged with second-degree murder.Washington County Sheriff's Office
A warning posted on the property about trespassing.Angus MordantWhen deputies arrived at the home, Monahan, a laborer, was allegedly uncooperative.
He refused to leave his home for over an hour, leading to “a bit of a situation” before he was taken into custody, Murphy said.
Monahan is being held in neighboring Warren County before he appears in a Washington County court at a later date.
Monahan’s name on a mailbox at the upstate house.Angus MordantGillis’ father is a correction officer at the Washington County jail, the Times Union reported, citing public records.
The newspaper reported, citing a source, that investigators don’t believe mental illness or alcohol are factors in the shooting.
Friends of Gillis and her distraught family were still in disbelief over the fatal gun violence.
Gillis was pronounced dead by the time first responders arrived at the vehicle.Kaylin Gillis/FacebookChuchay Stark, 48, told The Post Gillis was “really a gentle soul” who she has known since she was a little girl.
“She was one of those kids who make you say, ‘I wish she was my kid.’ She was very attuned to people’s needs and feelings,” Stark explained. “But there was no lack of confidence. She knew what she wanted. She knew her voice, and wasn’t afraid to be creative.”
When her daughter told her about Gillis’ death, she wept.
Monahan allegedly fired two shots from the patio of the house at the car on the driveway.Angus Mordant“In a small town, everybody is your children. Not being a family member, it’s still devastating. I can only imagine how heartbroken Angel and Andy are,” she said in reference to Gillis’ mother and father.
Eustis, Gillis’ cousin, called her the “goofball of the group.”
“She was very creative and would love to play these games where she’d make something out of nothing,” Eustis said.
Murphy said he knew the victim’s family.
Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy during a Monday press conference.Washington County Sheriff's Office“I know for a fact that she comes from a good family, a very good family,” Murphy said. “And I know them personally and she was a young girl that was taken way too young.”
A GoFundMe page has been started to help raise money for funeral costs.
The New York shooting comes two days after Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot and wounded after he rang the doorbell of a Kansas City, Missouri home Thursday.
