Donation Money Pours In for Saratoga County Girl Tragically Slain

Washington County Tragedy

It's hard to wrap our heads around what took place Saturday night in Washington County when a wrong turn and lack of cell phone service contributed to the untimely and tragic death of a 20-year-old girl from Saratoga County.

We may never really know the reason why 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis of Schuylerville was fatally injured, but police say it was because the car she was in took a wrong turn into a stranger's driveway, and as the car was pulling out to turn around, shots were fired at the back of the car.

Kevin Monahan of Hebron

Police say the man responsible, 65-year-old Kevin Monahan of Hebron,  was uncooperative with patrols on the scene. According to News 10 ABC, it took officers more than an hour of  "talking back-and-forth" with the shooter before he was taken into custody.

The sheriff, according to the report, would not discuss the weapon used or if it was obtained legally.  However, police in Washinton County say that there was no threat against Monahan on the part of the victim or her friends.

Go Fund Me set up

On Monday, the family of Gillis set up a GoFundMe account which they say will help the Gillis family to use toward Kaylin’s funeral expenses and any immediate financial needs, and in it, they wrote:

Kaylin just turned 20 years old. She was traveling with friends when they mistakenly turned into the wrong driveway. As they were leaving in the vehicle, the homeowner opened fire upon their car and Kaylin was struck and killed.

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.

Donations are pouring in

The original goal of the GoFundMe was set for $50,000, but that was changed to $60,000 on Tuesday when an outpouring of support came in from Capital Region residents.

At the time we published this article, Kaylin Gillis' GoFundMe was nearing $70,000 and that number is steadily rising.