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.”

    • @currycourier@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      51 year ago

      I remember reading that statistically it isuch more likely that you kill a friend or family member with a gun than a home invader while trying to defend you’re home. Instead of worrying about hypothetical ‘what ifs’ that are very unlikely to happen maybe we should stay anchored in reality.

      • So, you don’t want to kill them with a gun, you’d rather get up close and personal and bludgeon their face until they’re unrecognizable? Baseball bats are a deadly threat too, go attack someone with one and watch how fast you get an AWDW charge.

      • @SheeEttin@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        41 year ago

        I think I heard on the radio that the homeowner was an old man, so I doubt he’d be capable of using a baseball bat against a college athlete. But I can’t find an article that says anything about his age.