A video depicting the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska has circulated on social media, showing the aftermath of the attack.
The video shows a man moving through a train carriage after allegedly stabbing the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on August 22 on public transport in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It was first shared by local news station WBTV and has gone viral on social media. It follows the release of a shorter video detailing the crime. DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged with the murder of Zarutska after the incident.
The Context
The attack raises questions about safety and policing levels in Charlotte. It has also caused some to scrutinize Charlotte’s judicial system, as Brown, who was known to the police as having schizophrenia and had previous arrests and convictions spanning over a decade, had been released after an arrest in January.
Social media users also questioned the response of the American public, who failed to intervene despite appearing to see that Brown had allegedly stabbed Zarutska.
Anger at the killing also comes as President Donald Trump has mooted deploying the National Guard to respond to crime in several major, Democrat-run cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and New York. Trump has already deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., and has placed the city’s police department under federal control.
What To Know
The attack occurred on the Lynx Blue Line near the Camden Road area in Charlotte’s South End shortly before 10 p.m., police said. A video released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows Zarutska sitting on the train shortly before the suspect stood up and stabbed her in the neck from behind with a folding knife.
Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene, and a suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment due to a hand injury. A folding knife was located near the platform, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
In the continued footage, the suspect walked down the carriage with blood dripping from his knife. Passengers did not react to him, though some appeared to notice the blood and the knife, and one man moved down the carriage away from the suspect.
“I got that white girl,” the suspect appeared to be muttering. Some of his other statements are harder to verify.
The suspect took off his sweater and muttered as he stood by the train’s exit. He then left the train when it reached East/West Boulevard station.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, in a statement: “I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, in a statement posted on X on Monday: “As I reflect on the tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska my heart continues to go out to her family and our community as we try to make sense of this horrific and senseless loss.”
She added that the incident “was a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates” and that authorities were “taking action” to improve safety in the community.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, Sunday on X: “This monster had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny. By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians.”
What Happens Next
Court records confirmed that Brown is being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Jail. A judge had ordered a competency evaluation, according to WBTV.
His next court appearance is scheduled for September 19.
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