20-year-old woman fatally shot after mistakenly entering man’s driveway, sheriff says
A woman and three others were driving in search of a friend’s home when they drove up a man’s driveway by accident in a rural region of upstate New York.
Upon realizing their mistake, they began to leave when the homeowner walked out on his porch and fired two shots at the car the evening of April 15 in Hebron, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey J. Murphy said at an April 17 news conference.
One of the shots hit Kaylin A. Gillis, 20, of Schuylerville, a passenger of the car pronounced dead shortly afterward by authorities, according to Murphy.
The homeowner, Kevin D. Monahan, 65, of Hebron, is facing a second-degree murder charge, a sheriff’s office news release said.
“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 who decided to come out with a firearm,” Murphy said.
He said Monahan had no reason to feel threatened by Gillis and her friends, who were in his driveway for a short time.
Gillis was “taken way too young” and comes from a “good family” that Murphy personally knows, he said.
Monahan’s attorney Kurt Mausert told McClatchy News in a statement on April 18 that the case is “very new” and evidence is still being collected.
“My preliminary view of this case is that it was a series of errors which resulted in a tragedy,” Mausert said. “It is too soon to say more than that.”
How the events unfolded the night of the shooting
Gillis and her friends were driving around Hebron, where it’s “easy to get lost” with its dirt roads and a lack of cell phone service, before arriving outside Monahan’s home, Murphy said.
After Monahan shot Gillis, the friends drove on Cemetery Road in Salem, about 6 miles away, where they had cell service and called 911 at 9:53 p.m. on April 15, according to the sheriff’s office.
Authorities arrived and performed CPR on Gillis before she was pronounced dead, Murphy said.
Afterward, police said they went to speak with Monahan, who is accused of being “uncooperative” and refusing to exit his home or speak to officers.
About more than an hour later, Monahan was taken into custody, Murphy said.
He was detained in Warren County Jail.
Mausert told McClatchy News that his client “properly asserted his right to counsel and to remain silent” when police were at his house.
He said Monahan is a building contractor who has lived in Washington County for over 30 years. Mausert added that his client has “no prior penal law convictions.”
Hebron is about 60 miles northeast of Albany.
This story was originally published April 18, 2023 at 7:17 AM with the headline "20-year-old woman fatally shot after mistakenly entering man’s driveway, sheriff says."
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