Officials on Friday released surveillance footage showing the moments just before the deadly stabbing of a 23-year-old woman on a Charlotte, North Carolina, light rail last month, prompting new calls for safety on public transit.
The video, released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), shows Iryna Zarutska, a Ukranian refugee, get on the light rail and sit in front of 34-year-old suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. for several minutes before the fatal incident.
Brown Jr. has been charged with first-degree murder, according to a press release issued by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) in August.
Newsweek has reached out to the Charlotte district attorney’s office for more information on the court appearance schedule for Brown via email during non-working hours Sunday.
Why It Matters
The newly released footage quickly gained traction on social media and intensified citywide scrutiny of safety on Charlotte’s transit system.
The video has also spurred officials to accelerate security improvements amid public concern over random acts of violence on public transportation. There are now plans to upgrade cameras and place law enforcement officers on the transit system in light of the deadly incident, local news station WCNC reported.
What To Know
In the video, the suspect is seen looking restless and making faces while sitting behind Zarutska who is seen looking down at her cell phone. After a few minutes, Brown Jr. is seen standing over Zarutska before he allegedly stabs her in the neck from behind with a folding knife.
CMPD said in a press release that Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene and Brown Jr. was taken to the hospital for treatment due to a hand injury.
The attack occurred on August 22 on the Lynx Blue Line near the Camden Road area in Charlotte’s South End, shortly before 10 p.m.
After the attack, CMPD investigators said officers located a folding knife near the platform and took Brown Jr. into custody.
Brown Jr. has a prior criminal history that includes robbery and larceny convictions, which led to a six-year sentence in 2015, WCNC reported who added that a competency evaluation motion has been filed for Brown Jr. following the fatal stabbing.
Zarutska had come to the United States from Ukraine in 2023 to escape the Russia-Ukraine war that began when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded the Eastern European country in February 2022.
She attended Rowan-Cabarrus Community College which has multiple campuses just north of the city of Charlotte, WCNC reported.
In a statement released to the station, the school said that it was “heartbroken to hear about the death of one of our former students, Iryna Zarutska, whose life was taken in this tragic event.”
A GoFundMe page, which has already raised over $49,000, was recently opened in memory of Zarutska to help support her family.
Charlotte Area Transit System via WCNC
What People Are Saying
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles wrote in a post on X on Saturday morning: “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 remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time.”
She added: “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.
Lonnie, a family friend of Zarutska’s, told WCNC in August: “She left Ukraine to make her life better. She moves into this area, her life was better, and ends up getting murdered just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
M. Quentin Williams, former FBI agent and prosecutor, told WCNC: “When you look at it in hindsight, you can see that he is going through something before he assaults her. At the time, it might not have stood out as anything particularly different. I don’t think it was preventable in that way, but there may have been a deterrence factor.”
He added: “It happened so quickly. She was not in a position to respond. He caught the most vulnerable person on the train. She was in close proximity to him, she had her back to him, she also was doing something that diverted her attention away.”
What Happens Next?
It is unclear when Brown Jr. is scheduled to appear in court next. Jail records show he’s being held on no bond. No motive in the stabbing has been revealed by investigators.
CATS officials have hired a chief safety and security officer, increased the safety budget, and are in the process of upgrading cameras, WCNC reported.
A plan to seek a formal partnership with CMPD to add police patrols to buses and trains will be considered at a September 22 city council meeting.
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