Family of man killed in Brooklyn altercation holds vigil, recalls his love

BROOKLYN PARK -- A week after he was viciously beaten in front of his home, family and friends of Chris Wright gathered Friday for a vigil.

The Anne Arundel County father died a day after he was assaulted. Police are still looking for the men who committed the crime.

The vigil took place at Brooklyn Park's baseball field on 10th Street. From the start, it was clear the pain from Wright's death was still fresh.

His loved ones described the past week as a nightmare.

"We had to go home and tell [his sons] their dad was gone," Kristin Karopchinsky, Wright's sister-in-law, said. "Those cries will haunt me for the rest of my life."

With candles in hand, several people shared their best memories of Wright. They all had a theme: he made them feel his love.

"He went every day taking care of our children, messaging me, making sure I knew I was loved," Wright's fiancée, Tracy Karopchinsky, said. "I knew that; I knew that."

Anne Arundel County Police said that three to four men, all in their 20s to 30s, beat Wright at his home on Arundel Road last Friday. The beating stemmed from a fight at one of his son's schools—Brooklyn Park Middle School.

The school district confirmed a fight did happen.

Wright's family said at the vigil, the dispute never should have escalated to the degree it did.

"I want it back, when we didn't have to worry about kids fighting," Kristin Karopchinsky said. "If they did fight, it didn't result in someone's death.

To honor his memory, Tracy Karopchinsky said she's going to prevent this from happening again.

"We need to be there for other peoples' kids," she said. "We need to as adults, not stand there when kids are fighting."

Police are still actively searching for the suspects.