(CNN) — A 20-year-old woman was fatally shot Saturday night after she and three other people accidentally drove into the driveway in a rural upstate New York town, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy. .
Kevin Monahan, 65, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with her death, Murphy said at a news conference Monday. It is not clear if Monahan has already retained an attorney.
Monahan is accused of firing two shots, one of which is believed to have killed 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, from the front porch of her home, after Gillis and three other people accidentally entered her driveway while they were looking for a friend’s house, Murphy said.
“They are young adults. They were in the area looking for a friend’s house. It is a very rural area with dirt roads. It is easy to get lost. They drove on this road for a very short time, realized their mistake and left, when Mr. Monahan came out and fired two shots,” Murphy said, adding that the area has poor cell phone service.
After the shots were fired, Gillis and the rest of the group drove away, checked cell coverage and called 911. They were at a location about five miles from the area. They were somewhere about five miles from the home when they were able to call police at 9:53 p.m. Saturday, Murphy said. The police responded to the call and the rescuers began to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him. Gillis was pronounced dead at the scene, Murphy said.
Police officers later went to the home from which the shots were fired and found Monahan uncooperative, Murphy said.
“Monahan was uncooperative with the investigation and refused to leave his residence to speak with police. After several hours he was taken into custody with the assistance of the New York State Police Special Operations Response Team,” a statement said. Washington County Sheriff’s Office Press Release.
Monahan was not known to authorities before Saturday’s shooting, Murphy said. To his knowledge, it is believed that no one got out of the car and there was no interaction between Monahan and anyone in the car before the shooting, Murphy said.
“It is clear that no one in the vehicle posed a threat. There was no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened,” Murphy said.
Monahan is currently in county jail and will have a court appearance “in the near future,” Murphy said.
Hebron is a rural town in upstate New York located on the border between New York and Vermont. It has a population of 1,786 inhabitants, according to the 2020 Census.
