Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed on the dancefloor of a nightclub in Birmingham on Boxing Day.
The family of the victim, named as 23-year-old footballer Cody Fisher, said in a statement that whoever was responsible had “broken our hearts” and that they had lost their “best friend”.
West Midlands police said they were called to Crane nightclub in Digbeth just before 11.45pm on Monday after reports that a man had been stabbed. Despite efforts to save Fisher, he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
Detectives are viewing CCTV from the nightclub and are urging anyone who was in the area at the time to get in touch. No one has been arrested.
DI Michelle Thurgood, who is leading the investigation, said: “This was a young man enjoying himself with friends on a Boxing Day night out and our thoughts are with his friends and family today.
“We know there were hundreds of people in the nightclub at the time. While we’ve spoken to a number of them already, we still need to hear from anyone who was there and who witnessed or even filmed what happened.
“We believe that the victim was approached by a group of people and was then stabbed, so we’re working hard to identify all those involved.”
Stratford Town FC, the club for whom Fisher played, said in a statement: “Everyone at Stratford Town is saddened to hear of the tragic loss of one of our own players, Cody Fisher. Our sincere condolences go to the family and friends of Cody. Our thoughts are with you at this very difficult time.”
Fisher’s family said: “We are asking for privacy and respectfulness at this heart-breaking time.”
The stabbing took place towards the end of an event headlined by the Italian electronic musician and DJ Marco Carola.
Crane nightclub said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened that a man lost his life last night as our Boxing Day event came to a close. Our thoughts are with the victim, and his family and friends.
“We are working closely with West Midlands police as they investigate this crime. We encourage anybody who witnessed this incident, or has any information to share which may help West Midlands police, to contact them directly.”
Attendees told BirminghamLive that panicked revellers were “running around screaming and crying” after the stabbing, as the DJ stopped playing and an emergency message appeared on the venue’s big screens.
The club, which opened in October in a renovated Victorian warehouse, said it did not feel it was right to go ahead with a planned New Year’s Eve event, and that all ticket holders would be refunded.
The Birmingham DJ Steve Lawler, who also performed at the Boxing Day event, said it was “hard to comprehend that this can go on”.
The scene remained closed on Tuesday while officers gathered evidence. Neighbourhood officers will be patrolling the area over the coming days to offer reassurance.
