A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who had fled her war-ravaged homeland in search of safety in the United States was stabbed to death by a homeless repeat offender at North Carolina, according to family members and officials. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was found dead around 9:55 p.m. on Friday at the South End light rail station in North Carolina.
Zarutska had suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in South End, Charlotte, he Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Saturday. The young woman had only recently shifted to the United States from Ukraine in to escape the ongoing conflict with Russia, according to a GoFundMe page.
Not Safe Even in America
"This is an irreparable loss for her family," the GoFundMe set up to support Zarutska's aunt read. "We have created this fundraiser to support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses."
Photos taken by WSOC-TV showed police tape surrounding the platform and a train at the light rail station that evening.
Police arrested 34-year-old Decarlos Brown shortly after arriving at the scene. He faces a first-degree murder charge and was taken to the hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Brown, who is reportedly homeless, has a long history of arrests dating back to 2011. According to The Charlotte Observer, many of those charges—including felony larceny, armed robbery, and making threats—were later dropped.
Authorities have not revealed what triggered the stabbing. Authorities have also not yet clarified whether the stabbing took place on the train, the platform, or in the surrounding area, the Charlotte Observer reported.
Investigation Ongoing
Councilman Edwin Peacock is now pressing officials for explanations, stressing that residents no longer feel secure using public transportation. "Right now, the trust and confidence that we have right now, and particularly between South End and Uptown, it's very fragile right now," he said.
"The story is heart-wrenching, and if, obviously what we're hearing is true, clearly we need to give that family answers.
"And we, more importantly, need to give all the citizens who are riding the light rail a lot of confidence that you're going to be safe."
Zarutska decided to flee Ukraine after more than three years of conflict following Russia's 2022 invasion.
Just last week, President Donald Trump announced that he had initiated steps to organize direct peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
However, Russian authorities have indicated that such a meeting is unlikely in the near future as their attacks on Ukraine persist.
On Sunday night, Ukraine's Air Force said that Russia deployed 104 strike and decoy drones aimed at the nation's northern and eastern regions.
