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The man charged for fatally shooting Kaylin Gillis after she mistakenly pulled into his driveway has reportedly shown "no remorse," according to law enforcement.
Gillis, 23, and three friends were attempting to find the home of another friend in the rural upstate New York town of Hebron on Saturday night when they accidentally pulled into a driveway owned by 65-year-old Kevin Monohan. While they were pulling away after realizing the mistake, Monohan opened fire at their vehicle, striking Gillis.
After finding cell service five miles away, emergency services were called to the scene and administered CPR on Gillis, but she ultimately passed away from her wounds. Monohan was arrested on Sunday afternoon, after holing up in his home for an hour, and is being charged with second-degree murder.
Speaking with CNN on Tuesday, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy said that Monohan has proven difficult and spoken about it very little with officials. When deputies arrived at his home on Sunday, he refused to speak with them and could only be extricated with the eventual assistance of the New York State Police Special Operations Response Team. The sheriff also noted that Monohan retained a lawyer before even leaving his home and has yet to make any statement about the situation.
"[Monohan], quite frankly, has not shown any remorse in this case," Murphy said.
The alleged shooter is currently being held in custody at the Warren County Jail and is set to be arraigned in court sometime "in the near future."
Murphy is also reportedly a friend of Gillis's family and said about the 20-year-old that she was an honors student with a love of art and Disney, and who planned to study marine biology in college soon.
"A case like this is absolutely senseless," Murphy added.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help Gillis's family pay for "funeral expenses and any immediate financial needs." As of Tuesday afternoon, it had well-exceeded its initial goal of $35,000, and had raised over $88,000 in total towards a new goal of $100,000.
"On behalf of the Gillis family, we would like to thank everyone who has offered their love and prayers as they embark on this incredibly difficult journey of grief and healing," page organizers Beth Palleschi and Nikki Thomas wrote. "Again, thank you for your support of this incredible family. Your kindness, prayers, and love are felt by the Gillis family and everyone in the community that has suffered this tragic loss."
Gillis's death came after the tragically similar shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black 16-year-old boy from Kansas City, Missouri. On April 13, Yarl was attempting to pick up his younger brothers from a friend's house when he arrived at the wrong house. After he rang the doorbell, one of the residents, who Yarl's family state is white, opened the door and shot him. Yarl survived the incident, with a recent GoFundMe page update stating that he has been able to move and speak.
Newsweek reached out to the Washington County Sheriff's Office via email for comment.
About the writer
Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more