A 20-year-old woman was shot and killed Saturday after she and three others accidentally pulled into the wrong driveway while looking for a friend’s house in rural upstate New York, authorities said.
Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said at a news conference Monday that a young woman identified as Kaylyn Gillis was shot when a man fired two shots at her front door.
Murphy said Monday that a man named Kevin Monahan, 65, had been charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death. It is unclear whether Monahan has yet hired an attorney.
“It is a very rural area with dirt roads. It’s easy to get lost. Realizing his mistake, he drove down this driveway for a very short time and Mr. Monaghan came out and fired two shots.
Just days after the shooting, a black teen in Kansas City was shot twice by a white landlord after he went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings. No words were spoken as the teen stood at Lester’s front door before Andrew Lester shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl, according to probable cause documents obtained by CNN. Lester, who told police he believed the teenager attempted the break-in, faces two felony charges in the case, rekindling the debate about “how to stand your ground.” Do”.
After shooting in New York, Gillis and the rest of the group left their homes in the city of Hebron to find cell phone service and then called 911.
They were found about five miles from their home in a town near Salem. First responders began giving CPR, but Gillis eventually died at the scene, Murphy said.
Murphy said police later responded to the home where shots were fired and found Monaghan uncooperative.
He was taken into custody hours later with the help of the New York State Police Special Operations Response Team, according to a press release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
“No one is believed to have exited the vehicle and there was no conversation between Monaghan and anyone in the vehicle prior to the shooting,” Murphy said.
“There was clearly no danger from the person in the vehicle. There was no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel intimidated,” Murphy said.
Murphy said Monaghan was taken into custody on Monday and will appear in court in the near future.
“It is a very unfortunate case that some young men arrived at a man’s house looking for a friend’s house and came out with a gun and decided to open fire,” the sheriff said.
More than $40,000 has been raised on GoFundMe for the Gillis family, which raises money “for the Gillis family to use for Kellin’s funeral expenses and immediate financial needs,” according to the page.
The GoFundMe page reads, “On behalf of the Gillis family, I want to thank everyone who has provided love and prayers as we begin this incredibly difficult journey of grief and healing.”