Ukrainian woman who fled war in home country fatally stabbed by homeless man on North Carolina train

A Ukrainian woman who fled her home country due to the ongoing war with Russia has been killed in a late-night stabbing on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina Friday. A GoFundMe page said that Iryna "Ira" Zarutska "had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon."

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said that the 23-year-old woman was found by officers just before 10 pm on Friday in the 1800 block of Camden Road after receiving a call for Assault with a Deadly Weapon. Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Decarlos Brown Jr, 34, was identified as the suspect and transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Per WSOC-TV, Brown is homeless and has a lengthy criminal history. He will be charged with first-degree murder. 

The fundraiser described Zarutska’s death as an "irreparable loss for her family," and the funds will be used to help her "loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses."

Brown had been arrested in January of 2025 for misuse of the 911 system after he called the emergency number and claimed that a person gave him a man-made material that controlled when he talked, walked, and ate. His public defender made a motion in July questioning Brown’s ability to proceed in the case. A forensic evaluation was ordered but Brown was allowed to be out of jail.