Murder of Iryna Zarutska

The murder of Iryna Zarutska occurred on August 22, 2025, at the East/West Boulevard light rail station on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who had fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was fatally stabbed by Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old homeless black man with a lengthy criminal history. The incident drew significant attention due to Zarutska’s background as a refugee seeking safety in the United States and raised concerns about public safety on Charlotte’s public transportation system.^[1][2]

Iryna Zarutska was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and arrived with her family to the United States in 2022, fleeing the ongoing war following Russia’s invasion of her home country.^[3] According to a GoFundMe page created by her family, Zarutska had settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, hoping for a new beginning.^[1][4][5]

The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., was a 34-year-old homeless black man with a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2011. Brown had been convicted of multiple offenses, including robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, felony larceny, and misuse of the 911 system. He had served approximately six years in a North Carolina prison and was released in September 2020. Subsequent arrests included charges for assault on a female in 2022 and misuse of the 911 system in January 2025, where he claimed a “man-made material” was controlling his body. His mental capacity to stand trial was questioned in July 2025, with a court-ordered forensic evaluation pending at the time of the incident.^[1][6]

On the evening of August 22, 2025, at approximately 9:55 p.m., Iryna Zarutska was at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood. Surveillance footage released on 5 September 2025 by authorities shows Zarutska boarding the train and sitting in front of Decarlos Brown, her accused killer. For four minutes, Zarutska, wearing headphones and using her phone, is unaware as Brown glances at her, pulls a pocketknife from his hoodie, and flips it open. He then lunges, holding her head and stabbing her three times in the neck. Zarutska, visibly scared, collapses 30 seconds later. Passengers react but initially freeze; one eventually aids her, followed by others. Brown, seen wiping blood from his hand with his hoodie, exits the train two minutes later.^[7][8]

She was pronounced dead at the scene. Brown was arrested and taken to Atrium Health for treatment. He was charged with first-degree murder upon his release from the hospital.^[1][9]

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) has not disclosed the motive for the attack. The investigation remains ongoing, with CMPD’s Homicide Unit, led by Detective Buhr, urging the public to provide any relevant information.^[1]

The murder raised safety concerns for Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line. Councilman Edwin Peacock stressed fragile public trust and urged Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) and CMPD to review security. CATS confirmed the train operator followed protocol, holding the train until police arrived.^[7]

On September 5, 2025, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) released surveillance video of the stabbing.^[8][10]Rr

On August 27, 2025, Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles issued a lengthy statement excusing and minimizing the murderer's actions.^[11]