A father trying to protect his children from a group of bullies was brutally killed in front of his home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Christopher Michael Wright, 43, was trying to end a fight that began at Brooklyn Park Middle School and eventually landed on his doorstep.
Wright reportedly tried to fight off a group of men and teens who allegedly beat him mercilessly, causing a traumatic brain injury that ultimately led to his death.
Wright's fiancée, Tracy Karopchinsky, told 11 News that Wright wanted to end the fight and said his son — the reported target — would not be coming out of the house. The attackers allegedly told Wright to produce the child or he would have to defend his family. He did just that, and it led to his death.
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The situation reportedly began with a teenage boy.
Karopchinsky explained to 11 News that her 14-year-old son got into a fight with another teen at school the afternoon of May 19. Later that day, a group of two adults and three teens appeared at Wright's door looking for the 14-year-old, according to the New York Post.
"Chris came out to tell them, like, he's not coming out here to fight, and they threatened at one point to come in and get him, and then they said, 'If he's not going to fight, then you're going to fight,'" Karopchinsky told 11 News.
She told the news outlet that what happened to her fiancée was far more than a few punches. She says a seriously violent attack caused his brain injury.
"Just looking at the damage that was done to him, that wasn't just punching that did that. Like, there's no way that punching did that. The damage was done before the ambulance ever took him away," she recalled to News 11. "I mean, he'd had a seizure. It was done. There was nothing that the hospital could do."
A neighbor's home surveillance apparently caught what happened on camera.
The attack video was reportedly so violent that Karopchinsky couldn't finish watching it.
"I was at Shock Trauma, and initially, my dad and I tried to go onto the camera to look, and the first video that comes up is my 12-year-old son screaming, 'Daddy, daddy, daddy,' and running out of the house into the street to go help his dad," the grieving fiancée said, according to 11 News. "And I couldn't watch anymore after that. I just couldn't."
Karopchinsky said all three of Wright's children were at home at the time of the attack.
Wright's loved ones feel an incredible loss.
Karopchinsky and Wright always planned to get married but thought they had plenty of time, she told CBS Baltimore. She never expected to lose him so soon.
Wright's youngest son, Tevin, told the news outlet his dad was a wonderful father and provider. "She would usually be at work and like he would be the one person to take care of us every weekday," he said via CBS Baltimore. "I would get home and I would see him, which would make me smile."
Karopchinsky said the man she loved so much was adored by many.
"He was a friend to everybody," Karopchinsky recalled. "I mean, just the outpour we've been getting from friends and just, they're really, really gonna miss out on somebody with a really big heart. He loved beyond."
The grieving family hopes this serves as a warning to other parents.
Wright's mourning widow wants parents to know what their children are doing. The brutal attack was brought on by an alleged fight at Brooklyn Park Middle School, and Wright's family claims school officials are cooperating with police.
"They didn't just ruin our lives. Their lives are going to be changed forever. Their parents' lives are going to be changed forever, and nobody thinks about that just from a fight," Karopchinsky warned, according to 11 News. "It is everywhere, and somewhere, we as parents are failing these children as parents. It's not the school's responsibility. It's our responsibility."
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Anne Arundel County Public Schools is cooperating with the investigation.
Karopchinsky's sister, Kristin Karopchinsky, shared her gratitude with the school district for its help in tracking Wright's alleged killers.
"I want to thank the staff at Anne Arundel County Public Schools
(AACPS), specifically Brooklyn Park Middle School, to prevent the
fighting between the boys that ultimately led to Chris' death," her post on Facebook reads. "What happened to Chris was outside the control of the school. The school cannot do the job of parents and guardians."
The investigation is active. Detectives ask anyone with information to call them (410) 222-4731 or the Anne Arundel County Police Tip Line at (410) 222-4700.
