The frat brothers of a University of South Carolina student who was shot and killed when he tried to enter the wrong house have raised almost $70,000 in just 15 hours in an effort to help the victim’s family set up scholarships in his honor.
Nick Donofrio, 20, was found dead on the front porch of an off-campus home on South Holley Street on Saturday morning after suffering a gunshot wound to his chest.
Donofrio, described by friends and family as ‘sweet, funny and intelligent’, had walked into the wrong house at 2am and a person inside told officers thought he was a burglar so shot him.
Now, his frat brothers from the university’s fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma have set up a GoFundMe fundraiser in his honour in a bid to raise enough money so that his family can set up scholarships at the University of South Carolina and Daniel Hand High School in Madison, where Donofrio studied.
They described Donofrio, who joined their fraternity in the Fall of 2022, as ‘fun, charismatic, energetic, and a true man of honor’. ‘While his time with us was short, he made a significant difference in the lives of all of us and everyone he knew,’ his frat brothers wrote.
Nick Donofrio, 20, was found dead on the front porch of an off-campus home on South Holley Street on Saturday morning after suffering a gunshot wound to his chest
Nick (left) with his brother Louie (second left), father Lou (second right) and mother Dina (right)
Now, his frat brothers from the university’s fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma have set up a GoFundMe fundraiser in his honour
Police were first dispatched to the home on South Holly Street after receiving a call about a burglary – but while they were en route, it was updated to a shots-fired situation
The frat brothers have managed to raise an astonishing $69,000 in just 15 hours as a result of 962 donations.
Donofrio’s heartbroken parents have paid tribute to their ‘loving son’, who was killed just a week after they moved him in for his third year of college where he was studying Kinesiology and Exercise Science.
His mother Dina Donofrio, her voice cracking with emotion, yesterday said that she had remained in shock after her son’s death.
‘It’s just hitting me now,’ Dina told the New Haven Register. ‘He was a sweet kid. He was funny, he was intelligent, he was a good person. He had a good heart. He had a good soul.
‘I think anybody would be proud to have him for a son.’
Police were first dispatched to the scene in the early hours of Saturday morning after receiving a call about a burglary – but while they were en route, it was updated to a shots-fired situation.
Cops then found the 20-year-old dead on the porch. The street that he was found is located two miles from the university’s main campus.
No arrests have been made, but police say that the investigation is still ongoing.
If the person who shot Donofrio argues they were acting in self-defence under the Stand Your Ground law, which enables a person to exert deadly forces if they fear for their life, they could face no prosecution over the death as they feared their house was getting burgled.
Dina said their whole family, including father Louis Donofrio and his older brother Louie who also attended the University of South Carolina, were all ‘devastated’ by Donofrio’s death.
The heartbroken mother said that as a child, Donofrio was ‘just a happy, happy kid’.
‘He was such a happy kid, always smiling. He loved life, he loved to have fun,’ Dina said.
Asked what she thought her son would want people to know, Dina said: ‘I think he would not want people to be sad. I think he would hate how much we’re all hurting.’
Donofrio was a keen basketball player during his freshman year at the University of New England – before he transferred to the University of South Carolina.
Nick Donofrio was shot and killed when he tried to enter the wrong house on the street he lived on in the early hours of the morning
Nick (right) pictured with his older brother, Louie Donofrio, at his high school graduation in 2021. The junior was part of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity at the University of South Carolina, and was excited to live with four friends in the frat house this year, according to his devastated parents
Donofrio was found dead on the front porch of the off-campus home after a gunshot wound to his upper body just after 2am on Saturday morning
The City of Columbia police department said in a statement: ‘Columbia Police Department (CPD) officers are investigating the overnight shooting of a 20-year-old male University of South Carolina student from Connecticut.
‘Shortly before 2:00 a.m. today, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of South Holly Street for a reported home burglary.
‘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 Richland County Coroner’s Office has identified the male as Nicholas Anthony Donofrio.
‘Preliminary information indicates that Donofrio who resided on South Holly Street attempted to enter the wrong home when he was fatally shot.
‘CPD investigators will continue to consult with the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office regarding the circumstances of the case.’
Nick Donofrio (center) is pictured with friends. He was studying Kinesiology and Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina said in a statement: ‘Our Student Affairs team is providing resources and support to those who may be affected by this tragedy, and we remind all of our students that help is always available to them.’
The attack comes after Ralph Yarl and Kaylin Gillis were shot under similar circumstances.
Yarl, now 17, was shot in April after he went to the wrong address while going to collect his twin younger brothers from their friend’s house in Kansas City, Missouri.
He knocked on the door of Andrew Lester, a white man, who shot him twice with a revolver. Lester was released on $200,000 bail and is awaiting trial after being charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.
Also in April, Gillis and three friends were headed to a home in rural Washington County when they accidentally entered Kevin Monahan’s driveway in Hebron, New York.
Monahan, 65, fired two shots from his porch at the car, one of which struck Gillis who was still in the vehicle. He has been charged with second-degree murder.
Yarl (left), now 17, was shot in April after he went to the wrong address while going to collect his twin younger brothers from their friend’s house in Kansas City, Missouri. Also in April, Gillis (right) and three friends accidentally entered Kevin Monahan’s driveway in Hebron, New York. Monahan, 65, fired two shots from his porch at the car, one of which struck Gillis who was still in the vehicle