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.”
Its the safest and quickest way to deescalate. If your house is on fire you don’t try to stay and fight it yourself. You get to safety. Same goes for home invasion. I’m not dying to save $500 TV. Standing ground only makes sense as last resort.
No. Warning shots are warranted in some situations which this is. It sounds like you’re expecting more self control for warning shot and not for a kill shot
Can you find one state where warning shots are legal? I just spent ~20 minutes looking and couldn’t find a source that supports them being advisable at all let alone legal.
As for deescalating, I don’t believe anyone should have to deescalate when someone forces their way into their home. The front door is your last line of defense.
There was nothing to defend in this situation. Nobody was coming to hurt the home owner.