A student at the University of South Carolina was shot dead early Saturday morning after he attempted to enter the wrong home, police said.
Louis Donofrio/Facebook
CPD officers responded to a reported home burglary on the 500 block of South Holly Street in Columbia, South Carolina, shortly before 2 a.m.
“While en route, the emergency call for service was upgraded to a ‘shots fired’ call. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a deceased male on the front porch with a gunshot wound to the upper body,” the statement reads.
Per the release, preliminary information indicates that Donofrio tried to enter the wrong home on South Holly Street, where he also lived.
The 500 block of South Holly Street is approximately 2 miles from the campus.
A spokesperson from the University of South Carolina did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Donofrio’s neighbor, Kate Reynolds, told local news outletWLTX, “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.”
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.” Classes for the Fall 2023 semester at the university started on Thursday.
“I hate to hear that somebody - even in the neighborhood because this is usually such a more welcoming and friendly neighborhood than that,” Reynolds said.
According to hisLinkedinpage, Donofrio was a junior studying kinesiology and exercise science after he previously transferred from the University of New England in 2021, where he played basketball. He also worked full-time “assisting with grounds maintenance for 7 school buildings in the district” for the Guilford Public Schools in Connecticut.
source: people.com
