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The shooting happened Saturday night, April 15, in Washington County, in the town of Hebron, located southeast of Glens Falls.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, April 17, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said the suspect, 65-year-old Kevin Monahan, has refused to speak to investigators about the shooting.
“He was uncooperative," Murphy said. "He hasn’t spoken, not of substance, not related… to a motive or anything like that."
Deputies were called just before 10 p.m. Saturday with reports that a woman had been shot on Patterson Hill Road, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Emergency crews found four people in a vehicle on Cemetery Road in the town of Salem, approximately five miles from the initial shooting scene.
According to sheriff’s officials, medics performed CPR on 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, of the village of Schuylerville in Saratoga County, but she died from her injuries.
Investigators determined that Gillis and the three others were looking for a friend’s house when they mistakenly drove down Monahan’s driveway.
After realizing their mistake, they turned around and were leaving his home when Monahan fired two shots at their vehicle, striking Gillis, deputies said.
The group then drove to the Cemetery Road location in Salem, where they had better cell phone reception, and called 911.
According to Murphy, Monahan spent roughly an hour holed up inside his home before surrendering.
He was arrested for second-degree murder and is being held at the Warren County jail ahead of his arraignment.
Investigators said the group of friends never got out of their car and had no interaction with Monahan prior to the shooting.
“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 who decided to come out with a firearm and discharge it,” Murphy told reporters.
Tributes for Gillis have been pouring in since news of her death shook the close-knit community of just under 1,400.
At a press conference on Tuesday, April 18, Schuylerville Central Schools Superintendent Gregg Barthelmas said Gillis graduated from the high school in 2021, and was a member of the competition cheerleading team for two seasons.
She was also an “avid” artist and took part in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program.
“Her teammates and coach remember her as a sweet and passionate young lady,” Barthelmas said. “She was always smiling and laughing, and trying to make others laugh as well.”
Su Luke, Gillis’ former art teacher, remembered her as a “bright and creative young woman who put her heart into all that she did. She was a joy to work with and a positive role model for her peers.”
A GoFundMe campaign to help her family with memorial expenses had raised nearly $86,000 on a goal of $100,000 as of Tuesday, April 18.
Funeral arrangements for Gillis had not been made public as of Tuesday.
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