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Officials on Sept. 5, 2025, released footage showing the moments before a Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death on a light rail trail in North Carolina last month. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., can be seen in orange, while the victim, Iryna Zarutska, is sitting and looking at her phone. Charlotte Area Transit System via The Epoch Times
Officials on Sept. 5 released footage showing the moments before a Ukrainian woman was stabbed to death on a light rail train in North Carolina last month.
The video footage, released by the Charlotte Area Transit System, shows the victim, Iryna Zarutska, on the light rail as she sat in front of the suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., before she was fatally stabbed.
In the footage, Brown can be seen sitting behind Zarutska for a few minutes, making faces, before he is seen taking out a knife and making a swing at her from behind. Officials cut off the video before the knife makes contact with Zarutska, 23.
Brown, 32, has since been charged with first-degree murder, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department stated in late August.
Charlotte police said that Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene while Brown was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment before being arrested.
Officials have not released a motive in the killing.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles issued a statement on the attack over the past weekend.
“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,” 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.”
The video that shows the moments before Zarutska’s death drew widespread attention on social media platform X over the weekend, with White House adviser Stephen Miller commenting on the incident.
After her death was announced by officials last month, a GoFundMe page was launched for her relatives. More than $52,000 has been raised so far.
The footage released Sept. 5, 2025, shows Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect, sitting for several minutes before the incident. Charlotte Area Transit System
The page, which was partially written in Ukrainian, said that Zarutska had recently come to the United States and she was “escaping from the war and dreaming of a new life,” according to a translation.
Family members also told local media outlets that she was originally from Ukraine and fled the country to escape the Russia–Ukraine war that erupted in February 2022.
Brown, meanwhile, had previously been sentenced to six years in North Carolina prison after he was convicted on robbery with a dangerous weapon charges, larceny, and breaking and entering in 2013 and 2014, according to a review of jail records in Mecklenburg County.
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
