Tragedy touched Albany State University athletics.
Albany State Volleyball player Mariam Creighton was one of two people fatally wounded during a shooting on Sunday morning at Atlanta area nightclub Elleven45.
“We are heartbroken over the loss of Mari. What a beautiful soul. Our Albany State RAMily is devastated by this news. Our thoughts are with Mari’s loved ones,” Albany State athletic director Kristene Kelly wrote in a post on X.
John Holladay, the volleyball coach at Stockbridge High School, where Creighton was a standout player, said, “Mari was just an all-around great young lady that will truly be missed.”
We are heartbroken over the loss of Mari. What a beautiful soul. Our Albany State RAMily is devastated by this news. Our thoughts are with Mari’s loved ones. 😔 💔 https://t.co/3gJe6KimoI
— Dr. Kristene Kelly 🇻🇮 (@DrKKelly) May 13, 2024
Creighton started her collegiate career at Benedict College, where Holladay said she “immediately became a factor in the program.”
She then transferred to Albany State, where the then-sophomore appeared in seven contests in the 2023 season.
Elleven45 has been the site of several violent incidents in recent years. A petition was organized four years ago by a resident calling for the nightclub’s closure, citing claims of increased crime and stating the establishment was “irresponsibly owned.”
The petition said the club was “drawing criminal activity” into the neighborhood, basing those concerns on five shootings connected to the club that took place between September 2019 and August 2020, which resulted in four deaths.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Atlanta police received almost 100 emergency calls connected with Elleven45’s address in 2019 alone.
At Monday’s Atlanta City Council meeting, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said there was a single shooter who targeted one person. Police said a fight in the club was the impetus for the shooting, but couldn’t confirm who was the target.
Authorities indicated the suspect remains at large, but he was confident that his identity would be released soon.
