A University of South Carolina student is dead after police said a neighbor fatally shot him over the weekend when the student tried to enter the wrong house on his own street.
The Richland County Coroner’s Office identified the male as 20-year-old Nicholas Anthony Donofrio of Connecticut, the Columbia Police Department reported.
The shooting happened in a suburban neighborhood in southeast Columbia, the state capital.
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A burglary turned shooting
Just before 2 a.m., Saturday, police reported, officers were dispatched to a home on South Holly Street for a suspected home burglary.
As officers responded, police said in a news release, the emergency call for service was upgraded to a shots fired call.
Arriving officers found the victim on the front porch dead with a gunshot wound to his upper body, police said.
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‘The wrong home’
According to a preliminary information, police said Donofrio lived on South Holly Street and attempted to enter the wrong home when he was shot.
Columbia police spokesperson Jennifer Timmons said the shooter is a man who lived in the home. She said police are not releasing the homeowner’s name as he had not been charged in the case as of Monday.
Police said they will work with the local prosecutors to determine the circumstances around the case and whether charges will be filed.
‘Providing resources’
Jeffrey Stensland, a university spokesperson, told USA TODAY Donofrio was a sophomore majoring in public health.
The fatal shooting came less than 72 hours after the university’s fall semester classes began Thursday.
Stensland said the university’s Student Affairs team is “providing resources and support to those who may be affected by this tragedy” and was reminding students “help is always available to them.”
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her…
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