Two men have been arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death a semi-professional soccer player on the dance floor at a UK club during a Boxing Day celebration.
The victim has now been identified as 23-year-old Cody Fisher, a school PE teacher and coach who also played soccer for several Birmingham-area clubs.
West Midlands police announced Wednesday that they arrested a 22-year-old man in Birmingham city center after midnight, while a 21-year-old suspect was apprehended more than 115 miles away in London, BBC News reported.
Both are being held on suspicion of murder and will be questioned. So far, no motive has been revealed.
Fisher was dancing with friends at The Crane nightclub in Birmingham before midnight Monday when he was approached by a group of people and knifed to death.
Fisher’s family has released a statement saying that his death had “broken our hearts.”
Woodrow First School and Nursery, where Fisher worked as a coach, paid tribute to him on Twitter Tuesday.
“Everyone is devastated to hear of the tragic and needless death of this friendly and talented young man,” the message read. “Many of the children know Cody as their sports coach and love and admire him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
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In his free time, Fisher played for Stratford Town Football Club, and also for Bromsgrove Sporting and Stourbridge.
One of Fisher’s friends and former teammates described him to Sky News as “genuinely one of the nicest people you could hope to meet. He’d do anything for you.”
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Ingram, from West Midlands Police, told reporters that investigators were making “good progress” in the case.
“We’ve been really pleased with the response from the public and have already had a number of witness accounts and images sent through, which will help with our investigation,” he said.
The deadly stabbing took place during a party in honor of Boxing Day — a holiday celebrated in the UK and some of its former colonies. Italian techno DJ Marco Carola was headlining the event.
Several attendees reported that there were people at the venue who seemed to be “looking for trouble” and described the vibe at the club as “moody.”
Fisher’s stabbing took place just two days after 26-year-old beautician Elle Edwards was killed in a shooting at a pub in Merseyside on Christmas Eve. Two people have since been arrested in that case.
