Nicholas A. Donofrio, 20, died in the pre-dawn hours of August 26, 2023, on South Holly Street in Columbia after being shot at the front door of a residence he mistakenly approached. Donofrio, a University of South Carolina sophomore, had been out with friends and was reportedly highly intoxicated when an Uber dropped him off near his off-campus home. He went to the wrong house, began banging on the door and broke a glass pane while reaching through it toward the lock.

The home’s male resident retrieved a handgun and fired one shot as Donofrio reached through the broken glass; Donofrio was struck in the upper body and was found dead on the porch when police arrived. Ring camera footage and a 911 call showing the incident were reviewed by investigators. After examining the 911 recording, witness statements and surveillance video, the Columbia Police Department and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office determined the shooting was a justifiable homicide under South Carolina’s Protection of Persons and Property Act.

No charges were filed and the shooter’s identity was not released. Did anyone see Donofrio that night or have information about the events leading up to the shooting?