'Respect victim’s family': Charlotte mayor appeals against sharing deadly CATS stabbing video
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: Charlotte’s mayor has spoken out after a 23-year-old woman was brutally killed on the city’s light rail last month.
Mayor Vi Lyles released a statement this week after surveillance footage surfaced showing the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska.
“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public,” Lyles said. “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.”
Lyles reflected on her own emotions. “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,” she added.
Nightmare unfolds on CATS Blue Line
The attack happened on August 22 around 10 pm near the Camden Road station, where East Boulevard and West Boulevard meet in Charlotte’s South End.
Investigators said Zarutska had just boarded the Blue Line when 34-year-old Decarlos Brown stabbed her in the throat three times with a pocket knife.
Surveillance footage obtained on September 5 revealed how quickly the violence unfolded. At 9.46 pm, Zarutska boarded the train and sat in front of Brown. At 9.50 pm, he launched his attack. By 9.52 pm, a bystander rushed to help her, and 30 seconds later, Brown exited at the next stop.
Zarutska was pronounced dead on the train. Officials later confirmed Brown did not have a valid ticket, and no security staff were present in the car.
Police arrested Brown shortly after. He had a laceration on his hand, was treated at the hospital, and then charged with murder. Authorities said he did not know Zarutska and had never interacted with her before.
Former FBI agent and federal prosecutor M Quentin Williams said the killing was a chilling reminder of the overlap between public safety and mental health issues.
“It happened so quickly. She was not in a position to respond,” Williams told WCNC. “He caught the most vulnerable person on the train. She was in close proximity to him. She had her back to him. She was doing something that diverted her attention away.”
Williams added that the attack was so random that anyone in her position could have been the victim.
Decarlos Brown’s violent history
Decarlos Brown now faces a first-degree murder charge and was recently ordered to remain in custody while undergoing a competency evaluation.
Court records show a troubled past. In Mecklenburg County alone, Brown had been involved in 14 prior court cases. In January, he was arrested for misusing 911, and by July, a motion had been filed questioning his mental competency.
His criminal record extends further. In 2015, Brown was sentenced to six years in prison after convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny tied to two separate incidents in 2013 and 2014, according to jail records.
