Family of theater professor who was fatally shot speaks out: 'Senseless loss'

Family and friends of a Georgia theater professor who was fatally shot 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 bright light.

Erica Anderson, 41, was shot and killed early Monday at a residence in Columbus, a spokesperson for the Columbus Police Department confirmed to ABC News. The shooting remains under investigation and police are not releasing 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 lecturer in costume in the school's Department of Theatre & Dance. She had just returned to Columbus after visiting her family, who remain in Indianapolis, and to help her husband recover following surgery for prostate cancer when she was killed, friends said.

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

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

"She was an extraordinary woman whose love, creativity, and light filled every room she entered," her family said. "Her children have lost their mother far too early, and we are struggling to imagine a world without her love, guidance, and devotion."

The Andersons' neighbors in Indianapolis said they were stunned to learn of her death and have unanswered questions amid the ongoing police investigation. Though one neighbor, Ben James, told ABC News that the reaction has been, "This didn't need to happen, this was avoidable."

His wife, Betsy James, said the community has been rallying to support the family, especially as Anderson's husband is battling cancer.

"I think you go from shock and grief to logistical mode -- how do we now just help with all the little decisions that need to be made," she told ABC News.

Neighbors have organized meal trains and helped set up a GoFundMe to support the family, which has so far raised over $16,000.

"I'm really speechless and overwhelmed and I feel like my faith in humanity has been restored by the kindness and the generosity of those who feel compelled to support the family in any way, shape or fashion," 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 mom. And she was incredibly creative," she said. "She had this gift for the arts."

Anderson would run art camps for the children in the neighborhood, sew stuffed animals for her kids and "just used her creativity to help spread joy and love," Betsy James said.

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

It was a "tough choice" but she took the job in Columbus because it seemed like a good opportunity for her and her family, Dattilo said. Several neighbors gathered with her while she was in town this past weekend and were planning when they would see her next, Dattilo said.

"We laughed so much and just had the best time," Betsy James said. "We were all really glad that we had those really nice last moments with her."

Dattilo said she hopes investigators are able to provide answers for the family "so that they have peace in their heart eventually."

"She had so much more to give to her family, to her friends, to her students, and to the theater community she cared for so deeply," her family said in their statement. "Our hearts are shattered knowing her life was cut short when she had so much more to offer the world."