Video shows moments Decarlos Brown killed Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train

Aboard August 22, 2025, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., a repeat offender with a violent criminal past, aboard a Charlotte light rail train at the East/West Boulevard stop. 

Zarutska was fleeing the violence in Ukraine for safety when she was attacked unprovoked while listening to music, and she died at the scene despite the assistance of bystanders.

The event has sparked concern about public transit security and the refusal to prosecute repeat offenders, with camera footage proving the savagery. Brown's arrest on first-degree murder charges demonstrates systemic inadequacies in urban safety nets, since his previous mental health referrals did little to prevent the catastrophe.

Watch the video below: