A Ukrainian woman was fatally stabbed on August 22, 2025, while traveling on the North Carolina public transit system. Nearly three weeks later, the crime is still under investigation. The incident was caught on video surveillance, which has now gone viral on social media. Through that, the police were able to identify the suspect as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr.
Iryna Zarutska was identified as the Ukrainian woman attacked on the transit. According to a GoFundMe page started by her family, she had recently taken refuge in the U.S. from the Russia-Ukraine war. Her death has made national media headlines and received a public response from President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian Woman Stabbed
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department dispatched officers to the 1800 block of Camden Road after receiving a report that someone was assaulted with a deadly weapon. Upon arrival, they found the Ukrainian woman on the LYNX Blue Line train. She was found with several knife wounds and pronounced dead at the scene.
The stabbing suspect was identified as Decarlos Brown Jr. shortly after because he was taken to the local hospital “with non-life-threatening injuries sustained at the time of the incident.” When he is released from the hospital, authorities plan to arrest and charge him with first-degree murder.
Surveillance footage was released that shows the events leading up to the stabbing. Someone who appears to be the Ukrainian woman is boarding a full train and sitting in front of a man who appears to be Brown. After a few minutes riding on the train, Brown appears to pull out a pocketknife, open it, and stand up to allegedly stab the individual in front of him. The video did not show any interaction between the two leading up to the incident.
Government Reacts
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles described the killing of the Ukrainian woman as “a senseless and tragic loss.” He made a statement following the tragedy and expressed his condolences. “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,” Lyles said. “I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe.”
According to the GoFundMe page established to assist Zarutska’s aunt and uncle with any expenses related to her death. Zarutska “had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning.” Her family is appalled at how short her life was cut due to the actions of another human being. “This is an irreparable loss for her family. We have created this fundraiser to support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses,” it read.
President Trump mentioned the stabbing of the Ukrainian woman during a hearing on Monday, where he delivered remarks to the Religious Liberty Commission in Washington, D.C. “A lunatic just got up and started — it’s right on the tape, not, not really watchable, because it’s so horrible,” he said. “But just viciously stabbed. She’s just sitting there. So, there are evil people. We have to be able to handle that. If we don’t handle that, we don’t have a country.”
Others have also used X to express their opinions on this tragedy, and the right specifically is attempting to blame the Democratic Party. “The Democrat Party at every level — judges, politicians, academics, nonprofits — is organized around the defense and protection of the criminal, the monstrous and the depraved,” White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller wrote on X. “The more vile the threat, the more vociferously the Democrat Party works to protect and enable it.”
Elon Musk also commented on the stabbing through several posts on X, where he called for a law change. “Between now and then, name and shame the DAs and judges who enable murder, rape, and robbery. But especially shame those who funded the campaigns of the DAs and judges. That will make the biggest difference,” he wrote.
