Erica Blascom Anderson, 31, had just returned to her home in Columbus, Georgia, late Monday night when tragedy struck. Authorities now confirm that her roommate, startled by a noise and convinced someone had broken in, shot her. The death is being ruled an accident — the heartbreaking result of a terrified misjudgment.
Shortly after midnight, police were called to a house in the Lakebottom neighborhood, on the 1600 block of 17th Avenue. When officers arrived, they found Anderson fatally wounded. Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan pronounced her dead at the scene and said the circumstances pointed to a tragic case of mistaken identity. According to Bryan, the roommate — who had been asleep — heard Anderson enter, believed it was an intruder, grabbed a pistol, and fired two shots. The second round struck Anderson.
Bryan also revealed another layer to the heartbreak: in recent days, the roommate had received terroristic threats from her son, including threats to bodily harm and burn down the house. Whether that escalated her fear, or pushed her over the edge, authorities are still working to piece together what led to the shooting. The investigation remains open, with the Columbus Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit handling it. Anderson’s body was sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for further examination.
At Columbus State University, where Anderson had joined the faculty just this semester, her loss is being deeply felt. She served as a lecturer in the Department of Theatre & Dance, teaching costume design, and also worked in the costume shop. Before that, she had taught at Southern Utah University and the University of Florida, and had experience staging theater and opera productions nationwide. Her colleagues remember her as passionate, dedicated, and endlessly kind — someone who brought warmth and inspiration to her students and the arts community.
Beyond the auditorium and classroom, Anderson had a personal life full of love and challenge. She is survived by her husband and three children; her husband is currently undergoing cancer treatments. In fact, Anderson had just visited him and the kids in Indiana before returning home on that fateful night. Her sudden death is all the more painful in the face of his ongoing health battle.
In response, a GoFundMe has been launched to support her family — to cover funeral costs and help them during this unimaginable transition. The university has also pledged support, extending sympathy to her students and colleagues, and reminding them of resources available to cope with the loss.
There are many unanswered questions: Will charges be filed? How much did the prior terroristic threats weigh in the roommate’s decision? But for now, what is clear is this: a family is grieving, a university is mourning, and a gifted life was lost far too soon — cut down not by malice, but by fear and misjudgment.