A young boy has left a touching tribute to his PE teacher Cody Fisher outside the nightclub in Birmingham where he was fatally stabbed on Boxing Day.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering the 23-year-old, who was stabbed on the dancefloor of the Crane nightclub in Digbeth just before midnight.
A semi-professional footballer with Stratford Town FC, Fisher also taught children PE at Woodrow First School and Nursery, in Redditch.
Among the tributes left outside the Crane venue this week was one from a pupil who described Fisher as “the best PE teacher” in a handwritten note.
“Mr Fisher we are gonna miss you so much. You were the best PE teacher and you inspired me so much,” he wrote. “I will make you proud with my football and I will never forget you.”
The note was laid alongside several bunches of flowers and a Bromsgrove Sporting football shirt – for whom Fisher used to play – on which someone had written the initials of the phrases “gone but not forgotten” and “you’ll never walk alone”.
The school where Fisher worked said on Tuesday that “everyone is devastated to hear of the tragic and needless death of this friendly and talented young man”.
“Many of the children know Cody as their sports coach and love and admire him. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. May he rest in peace,” a message on the school’s Twitter account said.
Fisher’s loved ones have described him as the “purest soul, “wonderful” and a “best friend”, and his girlfriend Jess Chatwin has vowed to get justice for “the love of my life”.
“I'm so sorry my baby, you didn't deserve this,” she wrote on social media. “My whole world, the love of my life, my best friend. I don't know how I'm going to do life without you.”
Ms Chatwin added: “There is so much we will never get the chance to do now. I promise to do everything to get you the justice you deserve. This doesn’t feel real. I love you forever Cody Fisher.”
Revellers at the nightclub – where techno DJ Marco Carola was performing – have criticised security searches at the event and recalled a “moody” atmosphere inside the venue.
Sydnee Power, a 23-year-old from Birmingham, described “groups of lads” who were “looking to cause trouble”, saying: “As soon as me and my friends walked in, we got a very weird vibe and the atmosphere wasn’t good.
“There were just groups of lads everywhere, most of them looked moody. A lot of them were definitely looking to cause trouble, they clearly weren’t there to enjoy the music.”
