A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in an incident that has shocked local authorities and residents. Iryna Zarutska, who had recently arrived in the United States seeking safety from the ongoing conflict in her homeland, was attacked while riding the Lynx Blue Line at approximately 9:50 p.m. on August 22.
Surveillance footage obtained by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows Zarutska boarding the train in her pizzeria uniform and sitting near the rear of the car, engrossed in her phone. Four minutes later, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. allegedly approached her from behind, pulled out a folding knife, and stabbed her three times, with at least one wound to her neck. The video captures Zarutska clutching her neck as blood pooled on the train floor before collapsing. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Brown, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the attack, fled the car and exited the train at the next stop. Authorities located him shortly after and arrested him upon his release from medical care. He faces charges of First Degree Murder. According to police, Brown had previously been arrested multiple times since 2011 for offenses including larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and communicating threats.
Passengers on the train reported seeing blood dripping from Brown as he walked through the car before exiting. A GoFundMe page established for Zarutska’s family described her as someone who had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning.” The fundraiser emphasized the “irreparable loss” of her life, which ended “far too soon.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. No further details about Brown’s motives have been released.
