Mom of three fatally shot by roommate who mistook her for intruder: police

A mom of three whose husband is battling cancer was shot and killed by her roommate, who police say mistakenly thought she was an intruder.

A spokesperson with the Columbus, Georgia, Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that Erica Anderson, 31, was shot and killed by her roommate, who allegedly mistook her for an intruder, when she was returning from visiting her family in Indiana to her rented room on October 13. 

The shooting remains under investigation and police will not be releasing any further details at this time, the spokesperson said.

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Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan told WTVM that Anderson returned to her rented room in Columbus, Georgia, at midnight. Bryan said Anderson’s roommate had been receiving threats of violence from her son, including threats of bodily harm and to burn down the house. 

When the roommate heard a noise while sleeping, she grabbed her pistol and walked into the hallway, “She fired one shot and then fired another one and hit her roommate,” he said.

Bryan told the local outlet that he is ruling the shooting as an accidental death. Anderson’s body will be sent to the state crime lab for an autopsy, he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Muscogee County Coroner’s Office for additional details.

“You have to think about the roommate that shot her. I’m sure she’s devastated as anyone would be under the circumstances,” he said.

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Anderson had recently moved to the college town and was a first-year professor at Columbus State University’s College of the Arts and was a lecturer in the Theater and Dance Department.

Prior to her role at Columbus State University, Anderson taught at Southern Utah University and the University of Florida. 

“Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends, as well as the students she impacted,” said CSU President Stuart Rayfield in a statement.

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Anderson was “passionate about her work and her students,” a GoFundMe page in support of her family stated.

She is survived by her three children and husband, who are based in Indianapolis, according to the GoFundMe page, which said her husband “is currently undergoing cancer treatments, which makes this loss even more devastating for their family.”