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Teacher with Cherry Creek School District ID’d as victim in Denver fatal shooting

mellissa wright.jpg
Posted at 4:15 PM, Jun 01, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-02 01:17:09-04

DENVER — A teacher with the Cherry Creek School District was identified Tuesday as the victim of a fatal shooting in Denver over the weekend.

Melissa Wright, 41, was shot and killed in the Denver’s Lowry Field neighborhood overnight Friday.

Police arrested Eric Cobain, 49, near the 700 block of Kipling St. in Lakewood late Sunday night. He is being held for investigation of first-degree murder.

Family of Melissa Wright say Cobain is her ex-boyfriend. The two recently broke up.

According to the district’s website, Melissa Wright was a Severe Educational Disability (SED) special education teacher at I-Team Manor, an alternative school in the Cherry Creek School District.

On a profile of Melissa Wright on the district’s site, they wrote, “Wright teaches math and consistently goes the extra mile for her students, whether it’s helping her students start a business or get access to critical supplies.”

I-Team Manor sent a letter to parents Monday informing them of Melissa Wright’s death. The letter contained resources offered to students who are coping with loss.

"She lived life to the fullest," said Judy Wright, her mother. "She worked hard. She studied hard. She played hard. And she loved to travel."

Wright leaves behind a daughter, Morgan Becwar, who says she lost a loving mother and close friend.

"It's been the worst time of my life," Becwar said about the past two days. "I feel like a big chunk of me was taken with her, and I'm never going to get it back."