A 23-year-old Ukrainian woman, who fled her war-torn homeland two years ago to seek safety and build a new life in the United States, was tragically killed in a random and unprovoked stabbing aboard a light rail train in Charlotte.
The victim, identified as Iryna Zarutska, was on her way home from her job at a pizzeria on the evening of August 22, 2025, when she was brutally attacked. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community and sparked a national conversation about public transit safety and the failures of the criminal justice and mental health systems.
Chilling surveillance footage released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) captured the moments leading up to the attack. The video shows Ms. Zarutska, still in her work uniform, boarding a LYNX Blue Line train and sitting down, quietly scrolling on her phone. A man, later identified as 34-year-old Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., is seen taking a seat in the row directly behind her.
According to police and an FBI affidavit, approximately four minutes after Ms. Zarutska boarded, Brown, without any apparent interaction or provocation, pulled a pocketknife from his hoodie. He then stood up, lunged forward, and stabbed Ms. Zarutska three times from behind, including a fatal wound to her neck.
Passengers scattered in horror as Ms. Zarutska collapsed. The assailant walked away, removed his sweatshirt, and exited the train at the next station, where he was promptly arrested by responding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers. Iryna Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene.
The killing has been described as a profound tragedy. Ms. Zarutska and her family—her mother, sister, and brother—had resettled in the U.S. in 2022 after escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her father, of fighting age, was required by Ukrainian law to remain in the country and was tragically unable to attend his daughter's funeral. Friends and family remember her as a kind, creative, and gentle soul who loved animals and art, and who was embracing her new life in America.
The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., was found to have a long and violent criminal history spanning nearly two decades, with at least 14 prior arrests for charges including robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault, and larceny. His record also shows a history of documented mental illness, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia. The case has raised sharp criticism of local officials, with many questioning why a repeat violent offender with known psychiatric issues was on the streets.
In response to the horrific crime, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal charge against Brown for "committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system," in addition to the state-level first-degree murder charge. The case has drawn national attention, with top officials, including the U.S. Attorney General and the FBI Director, vowing to secure justice for Iryna Zarutska and condemning the systemic failures that led to her preventable death.
