Video shows fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte light rail — stirring debate on crime in major US cities

By Holly Yan, Sara Smart, Dianne Gallagher, Jeff Winter, Mia Blackman, and Zoe Sottile

(CNN) — Gruesome video shows a man stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee to death on a Charlotte light rail train — a case that has turned into a flashpoint as the Trump administration vows to crack down on crime in large, predominantly Democratic cities.

The unprovoked attack happened shortly before 10 p.m. August 22, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said. A caller said a woman was stabbed in the throat.

The victim, Iryna Zarutska, fled Ukraine in 2022 with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war with Russia — “and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States,” her obituary states.

Zarutska was a talented artist who worked at Zepeddie’s Pizzeria and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant.

The suspect, Decarlos Brown, 34, was taken to a hospital for treatment of a laceration and charged with first-degree murder. Homeless at the time of the stabbing, Brown has a history of arrests, according to court records, and suffered from mental health problems, family members told CNN.

Video of the attack shows Zarutska entering a train car and taking a seat directly in front of the suspect. With earbuds in and wearing a T-shirt for the pizzeria where she worked, she looked at her phone.

Around four and a half minutes after she boarded the train, a man identified by police as Brown pulled a knife out of his pocket, the video shows. He unfolded the knife while Zarutska remained looking on her phone.

Then, the video shows Brown jumped up, grabbed the seat bar in front of him with his left hand, and stabbed Zarutska with his right hand.

Zarutska, curled up with her knees by her chest and with her hand over her mouth, looks up at her attacker. About 15 seconds later, she fell to the floor, the video shows.

The video doesn’t show the two interacting before the attack.

A judge has ordered Brown to be evaluated for 60 days in a local hospital. CNN has reached out to his attorney for comment.

Suspect had lengthy criminal, mental health history

Brown has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for armed robbery, felony larceny and breaking and entering. Family members told CNN he has a history of mental health struggles.

He spent more than five years behind bars for robbery with a dangerous weapon, state records show. North Carolina state records list 14 cases for Brown, other than those related to the killing. They stem back to 2011 and include arrests for minor offenses like speeding and shoplifting. It is unclear how many of them were prosecuted.

After he was released from his five-year sentence in 2020, he “didn’t seem like himself,” his sister, Tracey Brown, told CNN, and he struggled holding conversations and jobs. Brown had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered hallucinations and paranoia, his sister said. He was sometimes aggressive and attacked his sister in 2022, she told CNN. Though he was arrested that night, she decided to drop the charges out of concern for her brother’s mental health issues.

“I knew he was battling something, but I wanted to know what it was,” she said.

Her brother told her multiple times the government had implanted a chip in him, she said.

“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break,” she told CNN. “And I think that night he broke. I think he had a mental breakdown. I think he just snapped.”

Tracey said she talked to her brother after his arrest and asked him why he attacked the woman.

“Because she was reading my mind,” he told her.

Michelle Dewitt, Brown’s mother, said her son struggled with mental health problems and was homeless, living at a local shelter.

Their mother had tried to get Brown placed in a long-term facility, Tracey Brown told CNN, but her attempts failed because she wasn’t his guardian.

Dewitt told CNN affiliate WSOC that she got an involuntary commitment order from the courts for her son after his erratic behavior.

Despite her efforts to help her son, “the system failed him,” she told WSOC. CNN has reached out to Dewitt for more information about the involuntary commitment order and her attempts to find long-term care for her son.

Early in the morning on the Sunday before the Charlotte stabbing, Brown showed up at Dewitt’s home, Dewitt told CNN. He told her he had just been released from the hospital and asked to stay the night, she said.

Later that morning, Brown’s mother dropped him off at a Statesville Avenue shelter, gave him a hug and told him “I love you,” then went to church, she said.

When she found out about his arrest, Dewitt “didn’t think it was him.”

“I said, ‘That was surely a mistake. That doesn’t seem like his character. He wouldn’t do anything like that. That’s just not who he is as an individual,’” she said. “He likes to have fun, make jokes, not hurt anyone.”

Dewitt told CNN Brown called her after his arrest but did not say anything about the stabbing. “He just said hello and that he loved me,” Dewitt said.

Suspect released after January arrest

Earlier this year, Brown was charged with misuse of 911, a class 1 misdemeanor, after he allegedly asked officers to investigate a “man-made” material that controlled when he ate, walked and talked, court documents state. Officers told Brown “the issue was a medical issue,” and there was nothing more they could do. Brown became upset and called 911, the records state.

His release was conditioned on a written promise he would appear for his next hearing, according to court records. The White House said his release left him “free to slaughter an innocent woman just months later.”

The Republican parties of Mecklenburg County and North Carolina announced plans to hold a news conference Wednesday “to bring light to the failure of Charlotte’s Democrat leadership, including Mayor Vi Lyles, to ensure public safety” after Zarutska’s killing.

President Donald Trump, who has recently escalated the presence of federal troops in urban areas as a crime-deterrent, denounced the slaying and called the killer a “madman, a lunatic.”

“It’s right on the tape, not really watchable because it’s so horrible,” Trump said of the surveillance footage. “She’s just sitting there.”

The president offered his condolences to the victim’s family and vowed to “get to the end” of violent crime.

“When you have horrible killings you have to take horrible actions,” he said.

Mayor faces criticism over statement

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles offered her condolences and was criticized for her initial responses to the slaying. In a statement Monday, she criticized the court system and pledged to improve public safety on transit.

Her first statement, days after Zarutska’s death, did not identify the victim but focused on the suspect, homelessness and mental illness.

“First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the young women’s family and friends. This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place,” Lyles’ initial statement said.

“While I do not know the specifics of the man’s medical record, what I have come to understand is that he has long struggled with mental health and appears to have suffered a crisis,” the mayor said.

“I want to be clear that I am not villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused,” she continued. “Also, those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators. … We, as a community, must do better for those members of our community who need help and have no place to go.”

The mayor identified the victim in a social media post more than a week later. In a new statement Monday, she characterized the killing as a “tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.”

“We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets,” Lyles wrote.

She announced increased security and law enforcement presence on Charlotte public transit in response to the killing.

CNN has reached out to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office and the magistrate judge who ordered his release for comment.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy lambasted the mayor’s initial response.

“Charlotte’s Mayor doesn’t want the media to show you the ugly truth. Why? Because she and other public officials in her city bear responsibility,” Duffy posted on X on Sunday.

Duffy also slammed local authorities, citing the suspect’s criminal record.

“By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians.”

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, posted about the stabbing on social media and blasted major media organizations for what he described as a lack of coverage.

Violent crime is down 25%, midyear stats show

In the first half of this year, “Charlotte experienced a 25% reduction in violent crime, which includes homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults, encompassing shootings,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.

Overall crime has decreased 8%, the department said.

The data, released in July, compares violent crime from January through June 2025 with the same period last year.

“I am incredibly proud of our patrol officers, who are in our neighborhoods daily, engaging with the community, observing suspicious activity and providing our detectives with the crucial information needed to arrest violent offenders,” Deputy Chief Ryan Butler said in July.

Zarutska was stabbed in Charlotte’s South End, a neighborhood transformed into an area of high-end apartments, restaurants, shops and breweries — fueled by the 2007 debut of the light rail system.

Victim fled fighting in Ukraine, only to be killed in the US

Despite her youth, Zarutska was already an accomplished artist who quickly became fluent in English.

“Iryna graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in Art and Restoration,” her obituary states. “She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork. She loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.”

Zarutska “also had a deep love for animals” and wanted to become a veterinary assistant. “She often cared for her neighbors’ pets, and many fondly remember seeing her walking them through the neighborhood, always with her radiant smile,” the tribute states.

She attended Rowan-Cabarrus Community College from 2023 to 2025, a spokesperson told CNN.

“We are heartbroken to hear about the death of one of our former students, Iryna Zarutska, whose life was taken in this tragic event,” the spokesperson said.

She was also a beloved coworker at Zepeddie’s Pizzeria.

“We lost not only an incredible employee, but a true friend,” the restaurant posted on social media. “Iryna, we miss you more than words can say.”

Despite the horrors of war in her home country, Zarutska “just had a heart of gold,” a family friend told WCNC.

“She was always very helpful, very supportive,” said the friend, identified only as Lonnie. “She was a sweetheart. And it makes me sick to think that she’s gone.”

Lonnie described the daily bombing in Ukraine Zarutska endured and the agony of not knowing “if you’re going to live or breathe another day.”

Zarutska found refuge in Charlotte, only to lose her life there.

“It’s very, very sickening and sad that we have such evil in our society today,” Lonnie said.

Zarutska is survived by her parents, two siblings and her life partner.

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CNN’s Sophia Peyser, Adam Cancryn, Stephen Watts, Ronnie Glassberg, and Michelle Watson contributed to this report.