'Heartbroken' family of Ukraine refugee stabbed to death on train break silence

The family of a Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death on a train in a brutal attack have broken their silence, blasting authorities for “lapses in security protocols”.

Iryna Zarutska had fled Ukraine leaving her family behind after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops to invade on February 24, 2022. In hopes of finding safety overseas she started a new life in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On August 22, Iryna boarded the South Endlight rail train in Charlotte, heading across town as she had done countless times before. But minutes after sitting down on a busy train, a homeless man with a long criminal history launched a frenzied knife attack on the young woman, stabbing her in the neck with a pocketknife.

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Speaking publicly her family said that her death was “the most horrific way” to lose a life. “We are heartbroken beyond words,” the family said in a statement from an attorney representing the family. “Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way. No family should have to go through this.”

The family are also also calling for a full investigation into “lapses in security protocols and failures within the public transportation system,” saying there was a lack of visible or effective security presence on the Lynx Blue Line, and blaming a failure of oversight in the contract between the Charlotte Area Transit System and Professional Security Services (PSS) as well as an absence of adequate safety measures they say could have prevented the fatal attack, Peoplereports.

“This could have been anyone riding the light rail that night,” the family said. “We are committed to making sure this never happens again.”

Disturbing video footage of the horrific attack circulated online in the wake of the incident. But Iryna's family have asked the public and media to "respect Iryna's dignity and [their] grief by not reposting or circulating it.

They said Zarutska had been working hard to build a new life in Charlotte, with a full-time job at a local pizzeria and studying English at a community college. On August 22 she texted her partner to tell him she would be home soon and when she didn’t arrive back, loved ones saw her phone’s location at a train station.

On arriving at the station they were told she had been pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. Cops identified the stabber as homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr, 35, who has a lengthy rap sheet, including an arrest for assaulting his sister.

Brown was shown leaving a trail of blood throughout the train as other passengers appeared to not realise the killing had taken place, before he rips off his shirt. He was arrested soon after and initially charged with first-degree murder, he was later charged in federal court with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

His bond was subsequently denied by a judge and he remains in custody. If he is found guilty of the federal crime, Brown could face the death penalty, despite North Carolina having not carried out an execution in almost a decade.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is seeking for the maximum penalty, said: "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."