Iryna Zarutska, 23, had fled Ukraine in 2022 after war broke out in Kyiv, but was brutally murdered in a random attack on a train as locals demand answers from authorities
Footage captures moments before rail stabbing in Charlotte, North Carolina
A 23-year-old refugee has been stabbed to death in a brutal attack on a train as police release the terrifying footage.
Iryna Zarutska had fled Ukraine after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade on February 24, 2022. In the hopes of seeking safety, Iryna left her family behind as she started a new life in Charlotte, North Carolina. On August 22, Iryna boarded the South End light rail train in Charlotte, heading across town as she had done countless times before.
But minutes after sitting down in front of the killer on a busy train, a homeless man with a long criminal history launched a frenzied knife attack on the young woman, stabbing her in the neck. Surveillence cameras captured the attack, showing the man standing up after as the knife dripped with blood down the carriage.
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Emergency responders pronounced her dead at the scene. Cops identified the stabber as homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr, 35, who has a lengthy rap sheet, including an arrest for assaulting his sister.
Brown was shown leaving a trail of blood throughout the train as other passengers appeared to not realise the killing had taken place, before he rips off his shirt.
He was arrested soon after and charged with first-degree murder. His bond was subsequently denied by a judge and he remains in custody.
Iryna’s heartbroken family said on a GoFundMe page that she had only arrived in the US in 2022 “seeking safety from the war” in her home country, and “hoping for a new beginning” before the slaying.
Brown was revealed to be a career criminal who has spent most of his life in and out of prison.
In January, he was charged with misusing 911 when he told police he believed someone had given him a “man-made” material that controlled his actions.
He was released without bail and a trial pending when he allegedly stabbed Iryana to death.
Brown served five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September 2020.
In February 2021, Brown was arrested for assaulting his sister in Charlotte and leaving her with minor injuries, according to police records obtained by the Daily Mail.
That same month, he was again arrested for injury to personal property and trespassing.
A police report from that incident said Brown “returned to the address after being told he was not allowed back and kicked and damaged the front door of the listed victim’s residence.”
In July 2022, Brown was arrested for a domestic disturbance. “[Brown] was arrested for disorderly conduct. The suspect was yelling and cursing, causing a disturbance and drawing the attention of multiple tenants while on the property,” a police report read.
Brown’s arrest records go as back as 2007, when he was still a minor. Over the next seven years, he was arrested at least six times for crimes including felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats.
According to the Charlotte Observer, most of the charges he faced during that time were dropped. Brown’s latest alleged crime is his most serious.
Local Councilman Edwin Peacock demanded answers from authorities, noting the community no longer feels safe to ride public transportation.
“Right now, the trust and confidence that we have right now, and particularly between South End and Uptown, it’s very fragile right now,” he said.
“The story is heart-wrenching, and if, obviously what we’re hearing is true, clearly we need to give that family answers.
“And we, more importantly, need to give all the citizens who are riding the light rail a lot of confidence that you’re going to be safe.”
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