Kevin Monahan fired at Kaylin Gillis' car even as she and her pals were pulling out of his driveway
HEBRON, NEW YORK: Kevin Monahan fired at the car Kaylin Gillis was in even as she and her friends were pulling out of his driveway. The group had accidentally pulled into the wrong address while looking for a friend's house.
Sixty-five-year-old Monahan is alleged to have fired at the vehicle even after the group of four friends realized they'd pulled into the wrong driveway and were leaving the Hebron residence, roughly 50 miles north of Albany. Gillis, 20, was pronounced dead about five miles from the home, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy told reporters. The group had driven to the location after the car was fired at and called 911 as soon as they received cell phone service. Monahan was booked into the Warren County jail on charges of second-degree murder.
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“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,” Murphy said in a press conference on Monday, April 17. "She was a young girl that was taken way too young," he said of Gillis. Murphy said the group had been in the driveway for a short time when Monahan opened fire from the porch of his home. One of the bullets struck the car Gillis was in. Law enforcement was alerted about the shooting shortly before 10 pm Saturday when Gillis’ friends dialed 911, Murphy said.
Who is Kevin Monahan?
Sheriff Murphy described Monahan as a laborer and a longtime resident of the home. The perp was reportedly uncooperative when deputies responded to his address and "refused to exit his residence to speak with police.” Authorities communicated with him through a 911 dispatcher and in person for hours before he was taken into custody with help from the New York State Police Special Operations Response Team, per a news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Murphy, the shooting took place in a "very rural area" which has limited cell phone service and is easy to get lost in. He said the group had "realized their mistake" and were pulling out when the shots were fired.
'There was clearly no threat'
Gillis, from Schuylerville, was described by Murphy as "an innocent young girl who was out with friends looking for another friend’s house." He added, "There was clearly no threat from anyone in the vehicle. There was no reason for Mr Monahan to feel threatened."
Monahan said nothing to authorities about why he opened fire and a motive is yet to be established at this point. Murphy said no one exited the car and there was no interaction between the perp and anyone in the vehicle before shots were fired. Monahan was eventually booked into Warren County Jail and is expected to make a court appearance shortly. It is unclear at this time whether the suspect has a lawyer who can speak on his behalf, NBC News reported.