A woman was shot dead by a homeowner after the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway by mistake.
Kaylin Gillis, 20, from Schuylerville, was in the car with three other people when she was killed in New York state on Saturday (15 April).
The group accidentally drove into the driveway belonging to Kevin Monahan, a 65-year-old resident in the Washington County town of Hebron. The area is rural and the driveways are not well lit at night.
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As the driver was pulling away from Monahan’s driveway, the homeowner allegedly opened fire on the vehicle and fatally wounded Gillis.
None of the people in the car exited the vehicle or attempted to enter Gillis’ property, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said at a news conference.
After the shooting the friends drove away from Monahan's house and attempted to call for help in the nearby town of Salem, northeast of Albany close to the Vermont state line.
Tragically, Gillis was pronounced dead by paramedics who performed CPR and tried to save her life.
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“This is a very sad case of some young adults who were looking for a friend’s house and ended up at this man’s house who decided to come out with a firearm and discharge it,” Sheriff Murphy said.
"There's clearly no threat from anyone in the vehicle," he added. "There's no reason for Mr Monahan to feel threatened."
Monahan was ‘uncooperative with the investigation and refused to exit his residence to speak with police,’ the Sheriff told press at the conference.
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He was taken into custody after authorities spoke with him through a 911 dispatcher and in person for about an hour.
A GoFundMe page has been created by Gillis’ family to help pay for funeral costs and other expenses.
The shooting happened days after a teenager was shot and wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, after going to the wrong house to pick up his siblings.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was sent to collect his younger brothers from a friend’s house on 13 April when he rang the doorbell of 84-year-old homeowner Andrew D. Lester, who shot the teen in the head and the arm after the boy fell to the ground.
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Yarl has been released from hospital after his condition was initially listed as ‘life threatening’.
The boy's father, Paul, told the Kansas City Star his son was 'making good progress' since returning home while Yarl's mother, a nurse, has taken time off work to care for him.
The 84-year-old man has been charged by the police with one count of first degree assault and one count of armed criminal action.