Charlotte’s Light Rail Horror: Ukrainian Refugee Murdered in Cold Blood
- David Colbert
- Sep 8
- 2 min read
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The promise of safety and freedom in America turned into a nightmare for one Ukrainian woman fleeing the horrors of war. On August 22, 2025, Iryna Zarutska, who had recently sought refuge in Charlotte, was brutally stabbed to death aboard a light rail train in the city’s trendy South End neighborhood.
Police say the attacker, 34-year-old Black guy Decarlos Brown Jr., had no prior connection to Zarutska. Surveillance footage shows Zarutska peacefully boarding the train and sitting down, only to be ambushed moments later when Brown pulled out a knife and stabbed her three times, including once directly in the throat. Zarutska, who came to America in search of safety from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, became the victim of senseless violence at the hands of a repeat offender who should never have been walking free.
Records reveal that Charlotte police had arrested Brown in the past. Earlier this year, he was taken into custody for allegedly misusing 911, after bizarrely claiming that “man-made material” inside his body controlled his movements and speech. Despite clear signs of instability, Brown was released back into the community—free to end the life of an innocent woman.
This tragedy raises serious questions about public safety in America’s Democrat-run cities. Instead of protecting law-abiding citizens and legal immigrants who seek refuge, the system seems more concerned with protecting criminals and ignoring the mental health crisis festering in urban areas.
Meanwhile, Zarutska’s grieving family is left to wonder how a woman who survived Russian bombs in Ukraine could fall victim to unchecked lawlessness in the United States.
Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, Americans have demanded stronger law-and-order policies and a justice system that prioritizes victims over criminals. Yet cities like Charlotte—run by weak Democratic leadership—continue to allow repeat offenders and the mentally unstable to roam freely, with deadly consequences.
Zarutska’s death is not just a tragedy. It’s a wake-up call. America must choose: stand for law and order, or watch innocent lives be lost at the hands of predators who face no consequences.