this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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The homeowner who fatally shot a 20-year-old University of South Carolina student who tried to enter the wrong home on the street he lived on Saturday morning will not face charges because the incident was deemed "a justifiable homicide" under state law, Columbia police announced Wednesday.

Police said the identity of the homeowner who fired the gunshot that killed Nicholas Donofrio shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday will not be released because the police department and the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office determined his actions were justified under the state's controversial "castle doctrine" law, which holds that people can act in self-defense towards "intruders and attackers without fear of prosecution or civil action for acting in defense of themselves and others."

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[–] SheeEttin 304 points 1 year ago (36 children)

Donofrio repeatedly knocked, banged and kicked on the front door "while manipulating the door handle" while trying to enter the home.

Donofrio broke a glass window on the front door "and reached inside to manipulate the doorknob"

Yeah, that's more than just trying to walk into the wrong house when you're blackout drunk, so I can see why they would consider it justified. But that's the word of the police, so we'll see if a different story comes out later.

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends 46 points 1 year ago (11 children)

Yikes. This is terrifying.

I feel bad for the owner who had to make a split second decision on what to do.

Because not much difference between rowdy drunk kid and a mentally deranged person. And making the wrong choice could mean your whole family is in danger.

[–] tider06 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

20 years old is an grown man, not a kid.

Hard to imagine I'd not do the same thing if that happened to my house with my family home.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Would you have possibly tried, I dunno, yelling first? Seems like if you're already armed there wouldn't be much danger in say "WHAT THE FUCK ARE DOING?". It says nowhere in this story they actually tried stopping him, just that they phoned the cops, window broke, they shot him.

[–] tider06 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It also doesn't say if they didn't. We have no reason to believe that they didn't yell at him.

But yeah, if someone pounds on my door at 2am, then tries to force the door open, then smashes my window to try and unlock the door, I'm not waiting til they get inside to see if they are peaceful.

Not risking my life or the lives of my wife and kids on wishful thinking. It's a tragedy that the guy lost his life, it really is. But he didn't exactly leave a lot of wiggle room for the homeowners in the house he was invading.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What makes you think they didn't do that? Why is your default assumption that they just started firing?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe the part where I read the article and it says nothing about an attempt to confront before shooting?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ah yes, police are known to release all information immediately and also news articles are absolutely known to do the same. Thanks for reminding me!

You're taking the worst possible interpretation and running with it. I recommend not doing that

[–] Orionza 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's what I'm thinking. Call the police first?! That's a normal response. Not reach for a gun and shoot the person to death. And the student didn't get inside. I thought an intruder who could be killed was someone who made it inside. So anyone outside the door is fair game, even if they're knocking and banging?

[–] Hildegarde 4 points 1 year ago

A female resident called 911 as Donofrio kicked the door, while a male resident went to retrieve a firearm elsewhere in the home

They literally did that.

Donofrio broke a glass window on the front door "and reached inside to manipulate the doorknob," at which point the male resident fired the shot through the broken window

Breaking a window and then attempting to open the door is enough to justify killing in self defense under local laws, even if the intruder has not entered the building yet.

The article is specifically written to have a headline that implies someone got away with murder, to get traffic. The point of articles like this is to profit, not to inform.

Man shot while breaking and entering, is a much less profitable headline.

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