Deadly stabbing of Ukrainian refugee in N.C. raises questions about public safety

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A deadly stabbing of a Ukrainian exile successful North Carolina past period has sparked outrage among elected officials, including President Trump, aft section authorities released video of the onslaught connected the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Police accidental 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who fled the warfare successful Ukraine lone to beryllium killed successful an seemingly random onslaught connected Aug. 22, was allegedly stabbed by a antheral with a agelong grounds of transgression charges and psychiatric crises. The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., had served clip successful prison, been concisely committed for schizophrenia and was arrested earlier this twelvemonth aft repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital.

Officials successful Charlotte faced crisp disapproval for failing to support Brown, who has a past of intelligence illness, arrests and erratic behavior, disconnected the streets earlier Zarutska was fatally stabbed connected the commuter bid — a sidesplitting that critics assertion could person been prevented.

Brown was arrested astatine the country and charged with first-degree murder. Court records amusement helium had cycled done the transgression justness strategy for much than a decade, with 14 anterior cases successful Mecklenburg County, including a five-year situation condemnation for robbery with a unsafe weapon.

The Aug. 22 attack, captured successful precocious released surveillance videos, has drawn condemnation of section officials and emerged arsenic a talking constituent successful the treatment astir nationalist safety, particularly among conservatives who person supported the Trump administration's crackdown connected transgression successful places specified arsenic Washington, D.C., wherever the president has deployed the National Guard.

"I person seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to flight the vicious War successful Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro successful Charlotte, North Carolina, wherever she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic," Mr. Trump wrote successful a Truth Social station connected Monday, besides slamming cashless bail and asking wherefore the fishy had been allowed retired of jail.

Zarutska had travel to the United States to flight Russia's invasion, relatives wrote successful a GoFundMe post, describing her arsenic determined to physique a safer life.

Videos released 2 weeks aft the incidental amusement Zarutska sitting connected the light-rail bid arsenic Brown takes a spot straight down her. Minutes later, without immoderate evident interaction, helium pulls retired a pocketknife, stands and slashes her successful the neck, investigators said. Passengers screamed and scattered arsenic she collapsed.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles called Zarutska's sidesplitting "a senseless and tragic loss."

"Like truthful galore of you, I'm heartbroken — and I've been reasoning hard astir what information truly looks similar successful our city," she posted connected X aft authorities released footage of the attack.

In a missive addressed to the assemblage connected Monday, Lyles said the incidental was a "tragic nonaccomplishment by the courts and magistrates.

"We request a bipartisan solution to code repetition offenders who bash not look consequences for their actions and those who cannot get attraction for their intelligence unwellness and are allowed to beryllium connected the streets," the mayor's missive reads.

Brown's parent told section tv she sought an involuntary psychiatric committedness earlier this twelvemonth aft helium became convulsive astatine home. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia. It was unclear what benignant of attraction helium received, if any, pursuing the diagnosis.

Brown had besides been arrested successful January erstwhile officers were called to a Charlotte infirmary for a payment check.

He told officers that helium believed idiosyncratic gave him man-made worldly that controlled erstwhile helium ate, walked and talked, according to constabulary records. Brown became upset aft officers told him determination was thing further they could do. A justice released him astatine the clip without bail.

Court records besides amusement that Brown faced charges ranging from making threats and shoplifting to felony larceny dating backmost to 2011, though immoderate of those charges look to person been dismissed.

The AP near a connection seeking remark connected Monday with the lawyer representing him connected the execution charge.

What President Trump, Sean Duffy and immoderate authorities lawmakers are saying

Mr. Trump connected Monday sent his emotion to the victim's household and called the fishy "a madman" portion speaking astatine the Museum of the Bible successful Washington. "They are evil people. We person to beryllium capable to grip that. If we don't grip that, we don't person a country," helium said.

In his Truth Social post, the president blamed Democrats, singling retired by sanction erstwhile Gov. Roy Cooper, who's present moving for Senate, "who garbage to enactment atrocious radical successful jail." Mr. Trump added that "North Carolina, and each State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and lone Republicans volition present it!"

Several Republicans and Trump allies assertion the onslaught shows that ample cities and governors are failing to support their residents and justifies the president's federal takeover of Washington and his plans to replicate that effort successful different places.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Charlotte officials, including the city's Democratic mayor, for allowing Brown to beryllium connected the streets.

"This monster had a way grounds longer than a CVS receipt, including situation clip for robbery with a unsafe weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny," Duffy wrote Sunday connected X. "By failing to decently punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians."

Top Republican lawmakers successful North Carolina's authorities Legislature echoed the criticism. "This is the outgo of soft-on-crime 'leadership,'" Republican House Speaker Destin Hall wrote connected societal media. "Anyone who puts criminals earlier victims has nary concern successful nationalist office."

Random attacks and unit successful U.S. cities person taken connected expanding value nationally this year, colliding with the authorities of transgression and immigration arsenic the Trump medication plans to ramp up a greater national relation connected metropolis streets.

Mr. Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to respective Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, Baltimore and San Francisco, to combat what helium says is runaway crime. Despite Mr. Trump's rhetoric, Vice President JD Vance said in caller days that the medication has "no contiguous plans" to nonstop National Guard forces to Chicago. The comments came 1 time aft Mr. Trump again suggested helium would nonstop national forces to Chicago, saying "we're going in."

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has opposed the president's plans, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called Mr. Trump's menace to nonstop troops to Chicago a telephone for "war with an American city."

Meanwhile, section constabulary section information shows that astir convulsive transgression successful those places and astir the state has declined successful caller years.

Those aforesaid trends person mostly held existent successful Charlotte, wherever the rates of homicides, robberies, aggravated battle and burglary each decreased betwixt 2020 and 2024 but car thefts roseate significantly, according to AH Datalytics, which tracks transgression utilizing section instrumentality enforcement information for its Real-Time Crime Index.

In 2024, though, homicides successful Charlotte did spike by astir 20% implicit the erstwhile year, but that fig has dropped again during the archetypal six months of this year, according to the data.