A professor and mother of three children was fatally shot by her roommate, who mistook her for an intruder.
Erica Anderson, 31, died in a shooting in Columbus, Ga., that authorities have ruled unintentional, according to WTVM and the Ledger-Inquirer.
Anderson came home just after midnight on Monday, Oct. 13 following a visit with her husband and children, who live in Indiana, WTVM reports.
WTVM spoke with Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan, who stated that Anderson’s roommate had received alleged terroristic threats from her son, so when she heard noise while sleeping, she grabbed a revolver and fired two bullets.
Bryan told the newspaper that the second round injured Anderson.
“You have to think about the roommate that shot her,” Bryan allegedly remarked. “I’m sure she’s devastated as anyone would be under the circumstances.”
Anderson began working as a costume instructor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Columbus State University in August, according to the school’s website.
“Prior to her current role, she taught costumes at Southern Utah University and the University of Florida,” according to the institution. “She has worked professionally in theatres and opera houses across the U.S., such as the Sarasota Opera, Indiana Repertory Theatre and Utah Shakespeare Theatre, and backstage for IATSE on touring Broadway shows.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to gather funds for Anderson’s family. The organizer stated that Anderson’s husband is now receiving cancer treatment.
“Erica had just started this semester at Columbus State University as a professor in the theater department,” noted the event’s organizer. “She was so passionate about her work and her students, and she was truly excited about building her future with the university community she had already come to love.”
