Gruesome video shows a man stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee to death on a Charlotte light rail train — a case that has turned into a flashpoint as the Trump administration vows to crack down on crime in large, predominantly Democratic cities.
The unprovoked attack — which is being investigated by the FBI — happened shortly before 10 p.m. August 22, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. A caller said a woman was stabbed in the throat.
The victim, Iryna Zarutska, fled Ukraine in 2022 with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war with Russia — “and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States,” her obituary states.
Zarutska was a talented artist who worked at Zepeddie’s Pizzeria and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant.
The suspect, Decarlos Brown, 34, was taken to a hospital for treatment of a laceration and charged with first-degree murder. Homeless at the time of the stabbing, Brown has a history of arrests, according to court records, and suffered from mental health problems, family members told CNN.
