A South Carolina college student is dead after he apparently tried going into the wrong house and was shot this weekend, The State newspaper reports.
Shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday, police in Columbia were called to a home for a reported break-in, followed by another call about gunshots being fired. When officers arrived, they found 20-year-old Nicholas Anthony Donofrio dead on the front porch of a residence. He had a gunshot wound to his upper body.
The sophomore from Donofrio, Connecticut, is said to have lived on the same street as the house where he was shot in a neighborhood less than two miles from the University of South Carolina’s main campus.
“Preliminary information indicates that Donofrio who resided on South Holly Street attempted to enter the wrong home when he was fatally shot,” a press release from the Columbia Police Department states.
The fall semester at the school started on Thursday.
“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,” the university said in a statement responding to the shooting, according to WLTX-TV.
Authorities have not said who shot Donofrio or whether any charges will be filed but noted that the investigation is ongoing.
“CPD investigators will continue to consult with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office regarding the circumstances of the case,” the police department said in its own statement.
Kate Reynolds, who lives in the neighborhood just a few doors away from the scene of the shooting, said Donofrio’s death is a tragedy for his family and peers.
“It’s not how you want to start college and something traumatic. You’re going to have those memories of your friend. The whole experience is kind of tainted with that, too,” Reynolds told WLTX-TV.
She added: “You think you’re going to be safe sending your kid off, you’re so excited sending your kid to school and something like this happens.”
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