CNN’s Van Jones rails against Charlie Kirk for suggesting murder of Iryna Zarutska was racially motivated—the killer said ‘I got that white girl’ after stabbing her to death

The killer, who was black, could be heard on surveillance video saying, "I got that white girl," after fatally stabbing the young woman on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Despite this, Jones ripped into Kirk, claiming there was no evidence to suggest the killing was racially motivated.

"For Charlie Kirk to say, 'We know he did it because she's white' when there's no evidence of that is pure race-mongering, hate-mongering. It's wrong," said Jones.

Authorities arrested Decarlos Brown, a 34-year-old man with a lengthy criminal history, over the August 22 stabbing attack. Surveillance footage from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), which captured the attack, shows that Brown can be heard muttering, "I got that white girl," as he fled the scene. Not one, but twice.

Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, suggested on social media that Zarutska's murder was racially motivated, stating, "If a random white person simply walked up to and stabbed a nice, law-abiding black person for no reason, it would be an apocalyptic huge national story," suggesting that legacy media doesn't care when the victim is white.

Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 to escape the ongoing war, was brutally stabbed to death shortly after boarding the train following her shift at a local pizzeria. Brown, a repeat offender who has been arrested at least 14 times, has been charged with first-degree murder. He has a criminal history that includes armed robbery, felony larceny, and unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court records.

Critics, including Kirk, have pointed to progressive policies in enabling repeat offenders. President Donald Trump released a video statement on the killing, saying, "We have to be vicious, just like they are. It's the only thing they understand...We cannot allow violent repeat offenders to continue spreading destruction and death."