A University of South Carolina student was shot dead after being mistaken for a burglar as he tried to enter the wrong house on his street.
The student, who has been identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office as Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, had just started his sophomore year at the university last week.
Donofrio, originally from Connecticut, was killed in the early hours of Saturday at a home several blocks from the university’s campus in southeast Columbia.
Police say that they were originally called for a suspected burglary but when they got to the property, they found the victim’s body on the front porch.
“Shortly before 2am today, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of South Holly Street for a reported home burglary. While en route, the emergency call for service was upgraded to a shots fired call,” the City of Columbia Police Department said in a statement.
“When officers arrived on the scene, they found a deceased male on the front porch with a gunshot wound to the upper body.”
Nicholas Donofrio was shot dead after entering the wrong home in Columbia, South Carolina— (Daniel Hand High School via CT Insider)
The department added: “Preliminary information indicates that Donofrio who resided on South Holly Street attempted to enter the wrong home when he was fatally shot.”
An investigation has been launched into the incident but the person who pulled the trigger has not yet been named.
Investigators are consulting with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Columbia “regarding the circumstances of the case”, according to the statement.
