Family of drama teacher who was shot to death at a Georgia residence speaks out: ‘Senseless loss’

Family and friends of a Georgia theater professor who was shot and killed this week said they are in shock and searching for answers over the “senseless loss” of the mother of three, described by loved ones as a creative artist and a shining light.

Erica Anderson, 41, was shot and killed early Monday morning at a residence in Columbus, a Columbus Police Department spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. The shooting remains under investigation and police have not released any further details at this time, the spokesperson said.

Anderson had started a new job this fall as a professor at Columbus State University, where she was a costume professor in the school’s Theater Department. & Dance. She had just returned to Columbus after visiting family, who remain in Indianapolis, and to help her husband recover after surgery for prostate cancer when she died, friends said.

“We are devastated and heartbroken beyond words at the tragic and senseless loss of our beloved wife and mother, Erica Anderson,” her family said in a statement Wednesday. “Our family is still in shock as we try to understand how something so horrible could happen.”

Anderson leaves behind two children, ages 9 and 10, that she had with her husband, as well as a 16-year-old daughter, friends said. “She was taken from us too soon, at only 41 years old, in an act of violence that should never have happened,” her family said.

“She was an extraordinary woman whose love, creativity and light filled every room she entered,” her family said. “Her children lost their mother too soon and we find it difficult to imagine a world without her love, guidance and devotion.”

The Andersons’ Indianapolis neighbors said they were stunned to learn of his death and have unanswered questions amid the ongoing police investigation. Although one neighbor, Ben James, told ABC News the reaction was, “This didn’t have to happen, it was avoidable.”

His wife, Betsy James, said the community has been coming together to support the family, especially since Anderson’s husband is battling cancer.

“I think it goes from shock and grief to logistical mode: How can we help now with all the little decisions that need to be made?” he told ABC News.

Neighbors organized food trains and helped create a GoFundMe to support the family, which has raised more than $16,000 so far.

“I am truly speechless and overwhelmed and feel like my faith in humanity has been restored by the kindness and generosity of those who feel obligated to support the family in any way,” Keri Dattilo, another neighbor of the Andersons, told ABC News.

Dattilo remembered Anderson as a “beautiful spirit” with a “bright light.”

“She was kind. She was a good friend. She was a good mother. And she was incredibly creative,” he said. “She had this gift for the arts.”

Anderson ran art camps for neighborhood children, sewed stuffed animals for her children and “just used her creativity to help spread joy and love,” Betsy James said.

Before joining Columbus State, Anderson taught costume at Southern Utah University and the University of Florida and had worked at theaters and opera houses across the country, including the Sarasota Opera and the Indiana Repertory Theatre, according to the university.

It was a “difficult decision,” but she accepted the job in Columbus because it seemed like a good opportunity for her and her family, Dattilo said. Several neighbors met with her while she was in town last weekend and were planning when they would see her again, Dattilo said.

“We laughed a lot and had the best time,” Betsy James said. “We were all very happy to have had those last nice moments with her.”

Dattilo said he hopes investigators can provide answers to the family “so that they will eventually have peace in their hearts.”

“He had so much more to give to his family, his friends, his students and the theater community that he loved so much,” his family said in their statement. “Our hearts are broken knowing that his life was cut short when he had so much more to offer the world.”