Someone shot and killed Nicholas Anthony Donofrio when he tried to enter the wrong home on the 500 block of South Holly Street, police said. (Screenshot: WLTX)
Someone shot and killed a college student who had been entering the wrong home, according to cops in Columbia, South Carolina.
Police identified the slain young man as Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, 20, who attended the University of South Carolina.
According to the department, their officers were dispatched shortly before 2 a.m. on Saturday to the 500 block of South Holly Street. At first, it was a reported home burglary. The emergency call upgraded to shot fires while they made their way to the scene.
Officers arrived to find Donofrio dead on the front porch, suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body.
Police released no information on the person who opened fire, let alone any sort of information on the resident in the home.
They released no information clarifying the encounter between the slain student, the person who killed him, or anyone else who may have been at the scene
Officers did not elaborate on how Donofrio attempted to enter the building or convey any sense of the shooter’s point of view.
Donofrio, who hails from Connecticut, lived on the South Holly Street at another residence, cops said.
“CPD investigators will continue to consult with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office regarding the circumstances of the case,” officers said.
“Our Student Affairs team is providing resources and support to those who may be affected by this tragedy, and we remind all of our students that help is always available to them,” USC told WLTX in a statement.
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“It’s not how you want to start college and something traumatic,” local woman Kate Reynolds, who lived in the Rosewood neighborhood for 15 years, told the outlet. “You’re going to have those memories of your friend. The whole experience is kind of tainted with that, too.”
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