Last Friday, Christopher Michael Wright, a 43-year-old father from Maryland, was viciously attacked and killed in front of his home while trying to protect his children from a gathering of adolescents and adults.
According to Mr. Wright’s fiancée, Tracy Karopchinsky, the assailants were searching for her 14-year-old son, who had been involved in a scuffle earlier that day at Brooklyn Park Middle School. When Wright informed them that the boy wouldn’t be coming out, they warned him, “If he’s not going to fight, then you’re going to fight.” After the fatal incident, Mr. Wright was taken to the hospital, where he succumbed to a traumatic brain injury the next day.
The attack was captured on security cameras, and Karopchinsky’s three children were all inside the home when it happened. Karopchinsky stated that when she and her son viewed the footage, they saw her 12-year-old son running into the street and screaming “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” in an attempt to rescue his father.
School officials have confirmed the fight at the school and are now working with Anne Arundel County police to investigate the situation. As of now, no charges have been filed against any of the assailants.
Karopchinsky expressed the need for parents to take responsibility for the increasing violence among teenagers. She describes her fiancé as her best friend and an adoring father who enjoyed star gazing and gardening. A candlelit vigil is planned in remembrance of Mr. Wright.