Anger is mounting after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed on a commuter train in an unprovoked attack.
Police say Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, with a long history of arrests and diagnosed schizophrenia, slashed Zarutska’s throat on August 22. The attack was caught on video.
Brown, who has 14 prior cases including armed robbery, had been released earlier this year despite violent outbursts and repeated psychiatric crises. He now faces first-degree murder charges.
Critics blame Charlotte officials for failing to keep him off the streets, calling the tragedy a preventable failure of the justice and mental health system.
President Donald Trump condemned the killing, demanding criminals like Brown be “locked up” and questioning why he was free to ride public transit.
Zarutska’s family says she fled Ukraine’s war to build a safer life… only to be killed in what many call a systemic failure.
