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.”

  • VinceUnderReview
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    -710 months ago

    So what you’re saying is literally you have a gun drawn down, you are ready to fire, and you still do not attempt yelling first?

    • Jackie's Fridge
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      -1210 months ago

      Or ya know, shooting at leg-level? Shooting the hand that was trying to manipulate the door knob?