A 20-year-old woman was killed Saturday evening after a turn into the wrong driveway while looking for a friend’s home in New York was met with gunfire.
Kaylin Gillis was traveling in a car with three friends through the rural town of Hebron in upstate New York around 10 p.m. April 15 when the group made a wrong turn onto the property of 65-year-old Kevin Monahan, according to The Associated Press (AP). Monahan reportedly stepped onto his porch and fired two shots towards the vehicle, one of which struck Gillis, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy revealed in a press conference.
As cell phone service was limited in Hebron, the group drove to the neighboring town of Salem, approximately five miles away, and called 911. Though first responders administered life saving measures to Gillis, she was pronounced dead on the scene, Murphy told reporters.
Kaylin Gillis, 20, was shot to death in upstate New York when she accidentally drove into wrong driveway while searching for a friend’s house. Kevin Monahan, 65, is being held in the Warren County Jail on second-degree murder charges. https://t.co/XxBngfBFq8
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 17, 2023
“[Gillis]was an innocent young girl who was out with friends looking for another friend’s house,” Murphy told reporters at the press conference, adding there was “no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened.”
Law enforcement officials went to Monahan’s home later that evening where they found the suspect “uncooperative.” After speaking with Monahan through a 911 dispatcher for an hour, police were able to take him into custody. The suspect was then transferred to the Warren County jail where he was booked for second-degree murder. (RELATED: Prosecutors File Felony Charges Against Homeowner Who Shot Teen)
Gillis’ death comes just days after Kansas City teen Ralph Yarl was critically wounded after approaching the wrong home in search of his younger siblings.