US: 20-year-old woman shot by a man for driving up the wrong driveway

A 20-year-old woman named Kaylin Gillis was accidentally shot by a man in Hebron, New York, on Saturday when she and her friends drove into the wrong driveway. Kevin Monahan, 65, the man who shot Gillis, has been charged with second-degree murder. Gillis and her friends were trying to find a friend’s house, but instead they entered Monahan’s driveway. Monahan fired his weapon at them as they were leaving and hit Gillis.

The incident occurred in a rural area with poorly lit driveways. Although Gillis and her friends did not leave their vehicle or attempt to enter Monahan’s house, he still chose to fire at them, according to the police. Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy called the incident ‘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 clarified that there was no threat from anyone in the vehicle and ‘no reason for Mr. Monahan to feel threatened’. Gillis’ friends called for help from a nearby town, but unfortunately, she died before paramedics could save her.

Monahan reportedly refused to cooperate with the investigation and declined to speak with the police when asked to exit his home. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist Gillis’ family with funeral expenses and other costs.

This was the second similar incident in the US recently. In Kansas City, Missouri, a 16-year-old boy named Ralph Yarl was shot twice by a homeowner after ringing the doorbell of the wrong address. Yarl was supposed to pick up his brothers from a friend’s house but went to the wrong home. The homeowner opened the door and shot him twice, hitting him in the head and arm. Yarl’s family lawyers issued a statement saying he is in stable condition but has life-threatening injuries.

Following Yarl’s shooting, people took to the streets in protest, chanting ‘justice for Ralph’ and ‘Black lives matter.’ The protesters carried signs that read, ‘Ringing a doorbell is not a crime’ and ‘The shooter should do the time’.