A 20-year-old University of South Carolina student was fatally shot Saturday when he accidentally tried to enter the wrong house on the street where he lived and was mistaken for a burglar.
The student was identified as Nicholas Anthony Donofrio. Classes for the fall semester had just started the week prior and Donofrio had begun his sophomore year last week at the University of South Carolina in southeast Columbia, said school officials.
The shooting accorded before 2 a.m. on the street where Donofrio lived, said police. Donofrio was shot to death several blocks from the University of South Carolina in southeast Columbia. Prior to the shooting, police were sent to the home to investigate a report of a burglary in progress. Police said that while in route, the emergency call for service was upgraded to a shot fired call.
"Preliminary information indicates that Donofrio who resided on South Holly Street attempted to enter the wrong home when he was fatally shot," according to the police statement.
When the police finally arrived Donofrio was dead on the front porch with a gunshot wound to his upper body.
Police have not released the name of the person who shot Donofrio and the shooting remains under investigation.