Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on Charlotte light rail by homeless ex-convict
CCTV footage sparks outrage
Charlotte: A chilling CCTV video has emerged showing the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, aboard a Charlotte light rail train. The disturbing footage, widely circulated on social media, captures the random and unprovoked attack by a homeless ex-convict, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr.
The incident occurred on the Lynx Blue Line on the night of August 22, as Zarutska, dressed in her pizzeria uniform, boarded the train at 9:46 p.m. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), she sat down and appeared focused on her phone, unaware of the danger lurking behind her.
Just four minutes later, Brown pulled out a folding knife and stabbed Zarutska three times, including once in the neck. The video reportedly shows him calmly walking through the train car, removing his sweatshirt, and standing near the exit doors as blood dripped from his hands. Zarutska collapsed in her seat, clutching her neck. She was later pronounced dead on the train.
Brown exited at the next station, where police recovered the weapon near the platform. He was treated for a hand injury at a hospital before being arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Court records reveal that Brown has a lengthy criminal history, including prior arrests for robbery with a dangerous weapon, larceny, and communicating threats. He served five years in prison for a previous armed robbery. In January, he was also charged with misusing 911 after allegedly claiming he was being controlled by “man-made material” inside his body.
The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has since responded by announcing a series of safety upgrades, including:
1. Hiring a chief safety and security officer
2. Tripling the public transit safety budget
3. Upgrading surveillance cameras throughout the system
The Charlotte City Council is scheduled to review additional safety measures, including expanded police presence on public transit, at a meeting on September 22.
Zarutska had recently arrived in the United States after fleeing war-torn Ukraine, seeking a safe and hopeful future. Her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign, which has already raised over $38,000, to help with funeral expenses and support during this tragedy.
The CMPD investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine a motive for the attack.
She came to this country to be safe.
— Jennifer Coffindaffer (@CoffindafferFBI) September 7, 2025
She came here to escape war.
In a twisted irony, Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed, including once in the neck, as she commuted aboard a North Carolina train.
She was so very beautiful.
Please, if it can be avoided, don't sit with… pic.twitter.com/PMGEWn8vPx
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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accuses EC of ‘bias’, defends state guarantee schemes ahead of bypolls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has accused the EC of "double standards" and "bias" after it sought details on the state’s guarantee schemes in Davanagere and Bagalkot districts, where bypolls are scheduled for Thursday.
In a post on 'X' on Wednesday, Siddaramaiah said the Election Commission of India had asked the Karnataka government for information on fund releases under five ongoing guarantee schemes in the constituencies going to polls.
The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, respectively.
The schemes are Gruha Jyothi, which provides 200 units of free electricity to every household; Gruha Lakshmi, offering Rs 2,000 to women heading families; and Anna Bhagya, supplying 10 kg of rice per month to each member of BPL families.
In addition, Yuva Nidhi grants Rs 3,000 to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders aged 18–25 for two years, while Shakti enables women to travel free of charge within Karnataka on government non-luxury buses.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the ECI had remained silent when similar cash transfer schemes were announced in Maharashtra and Bihar ahead of elections, calling the scrutiny of Karnataka’s schemes a "clear case of bias".
"In states like Maharashtra and Bihar, cash transfer schemes were announced or fast-tracked just before elections, directly benefiting voters. Yet the ECI remained silent. This is not neutrality—it is complicity," he said.
The CM accused the BJP and NDA governments of "a double standard", noting that when they act, the ECI "looks the other way", but when Karnataka fulfils its promises, it faces "intense scrutiny".
He added that targeting the state’s guarantee schemes is "not just political but anti-poor, anti-women, and anti-Karnataka."
Siddaramaiah clarified that these schemes were not launched in connection with the bypolls but are ongoing programmes implemented as part of the Congress government’s commitments from the 2023 Assembly elections.
Funds are transferred regularly to beneficiaries in a transparent and structured manner, he added.
"The guarantees are part of governance—a direct investment in human dignity, household stability, and economic participation, not inducement," he said.
He also accused the BJP of "hypocrisy", saying that while it criticises Karnataka’s schemes as "freebies", it rolls out similar programmes in states it governs.
"The Karnataka model has set a benchmark for the country. What is deeply concerning, however, is the ECI’s selective approach," Siddaramaiah added.
