A University of South Carolina student was shot and killed early Saturday (Aug. 26) when he attempted to enter the wrong home, NBC News reports.
According to the Columbia Police Department, the 20-year-old pupil, Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, was found dead of a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was on the porch of a home on South Holly Street, which is about two miles from campus. Originally from Connecticut, Donofrio was a resident of that street. He was attempting to enter the wrong home when he was fatally shot.
A 911 call reporting a home invasion came in a little before 2 a.m. While police were on their way to the scene, they were told that shots had been fired.
Donofrio was identified by the Richland County Coroner’s Office, and police investigators are working with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office to piece together the case.
The young man was a University of South Carolina sophomore. The Student Affairs team is providing support to scholars during this time.
The fatal occurrence is not the first time in recent news that someone has been shot for making a mistake. Incidents include Andrew Lester shooting Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old Black boy, in the head for ringing the wrong doorbell while attempting to pick up his siblings in Kansas City, Missouri. Yarl survived the shooting, but he still has trouble with tasks such as focusing. Days later, another man shot 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis after the car she was in accidentally turned into his driveway. Gillis did not survive.
There is a “Stand Your Ground” law in South Carolina that allows an individual to use deadly force in self-defense. They must have the right to be in the place, such as their home, and cannot be breaking the law. Additionally, gun owners are not required to have a license for purchase or ownership. Many are blaming laws such as “Stand Your Ground” for the rise of people being shot for making mistakes.