On the evening of August 22 in Charlotte, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was killed. According to investigators, she was returning from work and boarded a Lynx Blue Line train, where she became the victim of a sudden attack.
New York police released the full footage from the train’s surveillance cameras. The video shows 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. suddenly pulling out a knife and stabbing Zarutska several times in the neck before leaving the train. The young woman let out a frightened cry and soon lost consciousness. Passengers seated nearby did not intervene or react in any way.
The Ukrainian Embassy in the United States has yet to comment on the murder of a Ukrainian citizen. None of Ukraine’s major media outlets have reported on the tragedy either. President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials have made no public statements.
U.S. President Donald Trump offered condolences to Zarutska’s family, calling the attacker “a madman who judges had released 14 times.” At the same time, it was revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice has already filed federal charges against 34-year-old Decarlos Brown—he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The Murder of Iryna Zarutska
