life during what appears to be a random stabbing attack in Charlotte, North Carolina.
As per reports, Iryna – who had fled the ongoing conflict in Ukraine along with her mother, sister, and brother – had boarded the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) Blue Line train.
Seated in the row behind her was Decarlos Brown Jr, now suspected of having stabbed her to death.
Shock footage from the train itself showed Iryna to be looking at her phone with her headphones in. It’s reported that she had no interaction with Brown before he stabbed her in the neck in a vicious assault, before making his way further down the train carriage.
Tragically Zarutska, just 23 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police soon arrested Brown, with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirming that he has been charged with first-degree murder.
Brown, who sources say has a history of criminal activity and mental health issues, made his first court appearance on August 29. He was there denied bond and ordered to undergo a competency evaluation.
"I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. The perpetrator was… pic.twitter.com/4yUn0rw62k
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 8, 2025
After CATS released the train footage on September 5, the incident attained viral status, quickly spreading around the world online.
Internet denizens have rightly been left dismayed by the grisly events, and the increasing attention drawn to the case has seen the news work its way up as high as the president.
Donald Trump was addressing press at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on September 7 when he was asked about the stabbing. Trump responded by describing it as “horrible”.
With more than a fortnight having passed since the attack, however, the POTUS then made another surprising admission, stating: “I haven’t heard … when did this happen?”
The president then added: “I’ll know all about it by tomorrow morning.”
In a later post on Truth Social, the president gave a more expansive answer to his thoughts on the matter, writing:
“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”
Brown is scheduled to have his next court appearance on September 19.
