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HEBRON, N.Y. — The Washington County, N.Y., Sheriff’s Office has charged a Hebron man with murdering a 20-year-old woman who was in a vehicle that had mistakenly pulled into the man’s driveway.
The office said it has arrested Kevin D. Monahan, 65, of Patterson Hill Road, in connection with the Saturday night shooting death of Kaylin A. Gillis, of Schuylerville.
Monahan is being charged with felony second-degree murder.
“She was an innocent young girl out with friends looking for another friend’s house. I know ... her personally. She’s a young girl that was taken way too young,” Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said Monday.
On Saturday at 9:53 p.m., a 911 call was received for a woman who had been shot, according to a news release. Subsequent calls came in reporting shots fired from a house about 5 miles away.
Deputies discovered that Gillis had been shot while in the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s preliminary investigation concludes that Gillis was in a vehicle that had mistakenly pulled into the driveway where Monahan, the homeowner, was inside. He fired at least two shots from his porch, with one striking Gillis in the vehicle. The women in the vehicle drove away from that residence until they got to area where they could make a 911 call from a cellphone.
“They’re young adults, they were in the area looking for a friend’s house. It’s a very rural area with dirt roads and it’s easy to get lost. They drove up this driveway for a very short time, realized their mistake, and Mr. Monahan came out and fired two shots,” the sheriff said.
Authorities were not able to immediately speak with Monahan, the sheriff’s office said.
“Monahan was uncooperative with the investigation and refused to exit his residence to speak with police,” the news release said. “He was later taken into custody with the assistance of the New York State Police Special Operation Response Team after several hours.”
When asked about the weapon used, authorities declined to comment.
“We don’t want to talk about the weapon today,” Murphy told the media Monday.
The shooting happened days after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot and wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, after going to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.