iryna zarutska what happened

Iryna Zarutska was a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed on August 22, 2025, while riding the Lynx Blue Line light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. The attacker, Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old man with a history of criminal convictions including armed robbery and larceny, stabbed her multiple times in what authorities described as a seemingly unprovoked attack. Zarutska succumbed to her injuries on the train. Brown has been charged with first-degree murder and faces federal charges that could lead to the death penalty. Brown's family revealed that he was a paranoid schizophrenic and believed Zarutska was reading his mind, which explains his violent outburst. His sister and mother told reporters that Brown's mental health had deteriorated significantly after his release from prison in 2022, and there were ongoing struggles to secure his long-term mental health treatment. Zarutska, who had fled Ukraine due to the war, was remembered locally as a talented and kind artist. Her death has sparked national and international outrage, raising discussions about public safety, crime policies, mental health care, and transit security in the United States. The incident has also been politicized in debates about crime in urban areas.