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A 23-year-old refugee from Ukraine was allegedly stabbed to death in North Carolina in the United States last month. The CCTV footage, released on Friday by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), captures the moments leading up to it and the scene after with the suspect seen wielding the knife.
It’s a “random attack” which occurred on a Charlotte light rail train in August, the police said as per New York Post. Investigation is underway to determine the motive behind the attack.
The suspect identified as Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, has been charged with first-degree murder.
What CCTV footage shows
In the CCTV footage, the suspect can be seen attacking Iryna Zarutska, who fled war-torn Ukraine to have a safer life in America. The newly released footage shows Brown Jr. with a knife and cuts to visuals of him near the train door with blood dripping from the weapon.
This heartbreaking video shows the tragic moment Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on a Charlotte train. We must prioritize safety and support for refugees. Reopen asylum programs to prevent more tragedies. #Charlotte #Refugees #GunViolence #PublicSafety pic.twitter.com/6mWZL4qHFQ
– Link (@CleanGlobal) September 6, 2025
The surveillance footage shows Zarutska boarding the train in her pizzeria uniform around 9:46pm (local time), while sitting and using her phone, completely unaware of a suspect wielding a knife behind her. According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the incident occured on a Lynx Blue Line on August 22.
The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public. I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family.
This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers…
— Mayor Vi Lyles (@CLTMayor) September 6, 2025
About four minutes later, the 34-year-old suspect Brown Jr. then brings out a folding knife and attacks Zarutska from behind three times, with at least once in the neck, the report said.
Zarutska was pronounced dead on the light rail.
What suspect says
Brown — who has multiple arrests dating back to 2011 — has records which include larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats, according to court records mentioned in the report.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, in an official statement, had said “Brown was detained and transported to Atrium Health with non-life-threatening injuries sustained at the time of the incident. Brown will be arrested upon his release. He is charged with First Degree Murder.”
He is homeless and once served five years in prison for the robbery with a deadly weapon charge, according to WSOC-TV cited by The POST.
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During that incident, officers said he bizarrely claimed a “man-made” material inside his body was controlling him as he ate, walked and talked, according to an affidavit. “Brown wanted officers to investigate this ‘man-made’ material that was inside of his body,” the affidavit said.
In a post on X, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said, “This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time. Like so many of you, I’m heartbroken and I’ve been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city. I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe.”
(with inputs from New York Post, WCNC)
