The relatives of a Ukrainian refugee knifed to death aboard a train in a savage assault have spoken out, condemning officials for “lapses in security protocols”.
Iryna Zarutska had escaped Ukraine, abandoning her loved ones after Vladimir Putin commanded Russian forces to invade on February 24, 2022. Seeking refuge abroad, she began afresh in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On August 22, Iryna climbed aboard the South End light rail service in Charlotte, travelling across the city as she had done numerous times previously. However, moments after taking her seat on the packed carriage, a homeless man with an extensive criminal record unleashed a vicious knife attack on the young woman, plunging a pocketknife into her throat.
Speaking out publicly, her relatives declared that her death was “the most horrific way” to perish. “We are heartbroken beyond words,” the family stated through a solicitor representing them.
“Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way,” they said. “No family should have to go through this.”
The family are also demanding a comprehensive inquiry into “lapses in security protocols and failures within the public transportation system,” citing an absence of visible or effective security presence on the Lynx Blue Line. They also condemned a breakdown in oversight between the Charlotte Area Transit System and Professional Security Services (PSS), alongside inadequate safety measures they claim could have prevented the deadly assault, reports the Mirror.
“This could have been anyone riding the light rail that night,” the family said. “We are committed to making sure this never happens again.”
Shocking video footage of the brutal attack spread across social media following the incident. However, Iryna’s family have urged the public and press to “respect Iryna’s dignity and [their] grief by not reposting or circulating it.”
They revealed Zarutska had been striving to establish a fresh start in Charlotte, maintaining full-time employment at a local pizzeria whilst studying English at a community college. On August 22 she messaged her partner saying she would be home shortly, but when she failed to return, worried relatives tracked her phone’s location to a train station.
Upon reaching the station they were informed she had been declared dead at the scene, the statement revealed. Police identified the knifeman as vagrant Decarlos Brown Jr, 35, who possesses an extensive criminal record, including an arrest for attacking his sister.
Brown was captured on footage leaving a bloody trail throughout the carriage as fellow passengers seemed oblivious to the slaying that had just occurred, before he tore off his shirt.
He was apprehended shortly afterwards and initially faced first-degree murder charges, though he was subsequently charged in federal court with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
A judge refused his bail application and he remains behind bars.
Should he be convicted of the federal offence, Brown could face capital punishment, despite North Carolina not executing anyone for nearly ten years.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is pursuing the harshest sentence possible, declared: “Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream – her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence – he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”