Ukrainian Woman Stabbed on Charlotte Train
A horrifying and heartbreaking tragedy happened on August 22 when 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee just weeks into her new life in America, was fatally stabbed aboard Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line train.
Zarutska, who had fled the war in Ukraine hoping for peace and safety, had just finished a long shift at a local pizzeria and was still wearing her work uniform when she hopped on the train at 9:46 p.m. She had no idea her life was about to be cut short by a cold-blooded killer.
Random Act Of Violence: Caught On Camera
Surveillance footage from Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows Zarutska quietly scrolling her phone just four minutes into her ride. Sitting behind her was 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., a homeless ex-con with a lengthy criminal record.
Without warning, Brown pulled out a folding knife, leaned forward, and stabbed Zarutska three times, including at least once in the neck, then walked off the train like nothing happened.
A bystander tried to help, but tragically, Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene.
Who Is Decarlos Brown Jr.?
Brown has a rap sheet stretching back to 2011. His record includes robbery with a deadly weapon, larceny, and even misuse of 911. In fact, earlier this year, he told dispatchers he was being controlled by “man-made material”—prompting a court-ordered mental health evaluation that was still pending when he murdered Zarutska.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says the stabbing appears to be completely random and unprovoked. Brown has since been charged with first-degree murder.
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