20-Year-Old Woman Shot To Death By Homeowner After Driving To Wrong Address

A 20-year-old woman has been shot to death by an upstate New York homeowner after she and her companions went to the wrong address while looking for a friend's house.

Kaylin Gillis, from Schuylerville in Saratoga County, was in a car with three other friends Saturday night when they took a wrong turn into a driveway on Paterson Hill Road in Hebron, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said during a press conference Monday, according to WNYT.

"This is a very sad case of some young adults looking for a friend's house, and ended up at this man's house who decided to come out with a firearm and discharge," Murphy said, as per the outlet.

As the group was leaving the residence they mistakenly pulled into, the owner of the house, 65-year-old Kevin Monahan, came to his patio and allegedly fired two shots at the vehicle. One of the bullets struck Gillis. Police confirmed no one from the group left the vehicle or entered Monahan's porch before the shots were fired.

"While they were leaving the residence after they determined that they were at the wrong house, the subject came out on his porch for whatever reason and fired two shots, one of which struck the vehicle that Kaylin was in," Murphy said, as reported by CBS News.

Authorities revealed it was a rural area with a lack of cellphone reception, due to which the driver continued driving with Gillis wounded inside. Shortly after, around 9:50 p.m., one of the passengers was able to connect with 911. Patrols eventually found the vehicle on Cemetery Road in neighboring Salem and emergency crews attempted CPR on Gillis. However, they couldn't save her.

"Upon arriving at the first scene on Cemetery Road, Deputies discovered a female who had been in a vehicle and was a victim of a gunshot wound," Washington County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Police then proceeded to Monahan's house to investigate the shooting, but he refused to let the cops in. He was uncooperative and wouldn't come outside to talk with patrols, either, the sheriff's office said. He was eventually taken into custody after authorities spoke with him through a 911 dispatcher and an hour of back-and-forth talking.

Authorities believe Monahan is a laborer who had been living in the house for "quite a while." He was charged with second-degree murder and transferred to the Warren County Jail to be held. Monahan didn't say why he fired the shots at the vehicle.

"There was clearly no threat from anybody in the vehicle," Murphy confirmed, according to CBS News. "There was no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened."

Investigators don't believe a mental illness or alcohol had a role in the shooting, a law enforcement source told Times Union.

Police regarded Gillis as an "innocent young girl who was out with friends."

The incident took place days after 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot and wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, after he went to the wrong house to pick up his siblings. The teen suffered life-threatening injuries and was immediately transported to a hospital.