Charlotte station stabbing: Ukrainian refugee woman killed in North Carolina; homeless suspect with history of violent crime arrested

A young Ukrainian refugee who fled her war-hit homeland for safety in the United States was stabbed to death at a North Carolina train station.

Iryna Zarutska, 23, was attacked at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in South End, Charlotte, just before 10 pm (local time) on last week’s Friday, as per the New York Post.


She suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Zarutska had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning,” according to a GoFundMe page set up to support her aunt and family.

“Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon… This is an irreparable loss for her family,” the statement added.

Photos published by local outlet WSOC-TV showed police tape surrounding the platform and a train at the station. The Charlotte Observer reported that officers have not yet confirmed whether the stabbing happened on the train, the platform, or nearby.

The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries on the night of the incident. He was then arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, as cited by the New York Post.

Court records show Brown has been arrested several times since 2011 on charges including felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and communicating threats. He is homeless and previously served five years in prison for a robbery with a deadly weapon, WSOC-TV reported.

The Charlotte Observer noted that other past charges against him were dropped.

Brown also has pending charges from January this year for misuse of the 911 system, following a police welfare check that raised concerns about his mental state.

According to an affidavit, Brown told officers he believed someone had given him a “man-made” material that controlled when he ate, walked, and talked.

“Brown wanted officers to investigate this ‘man-made’ material that was inside of his body,” the affidavit said. Police advised him that he was suffering from a medical issue and that there was nothing further they could do. Brown became upset and later called 911 again. He was arrested after hanging up the phone, the outlet reported.

Authorities have not released details about the reason behind the fatal stabbing and the investigation is still ongoing.