Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is Nick Craig.
National attention is intensifying after the gruesome murder of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light rail on Aug. 22.
Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old from Ukraine, had only recently escaped her war-torn homeland, according to a GoFundMe page. On Aug. 22, shortly before 10pm, she was traveling on Charlotte's Lynx Blue Line when she was allegedly stabbed in the throat by Decarlos Brown Jr.
Surveillance video obtained by WBTV shows Zarutska entering the light rail, taking a seat in front of Brown, and listening to music. Roughly four minutes later, Brown stabbed her in the neck three times.
Decarlos Brown Jr. 34, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He is currently being held without bond. Jail records show Brown has several prior convictions, including armed robbery, felony larceny, breaking and entering, and shoplifting.
According to the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), Brown boarded without buying a ticket. At its Sept. 3 special meeting, the agency said it will boost ticket inspections and roll out validator machines.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles came under immense scrutiny immediately following the murder when she commented on the alleged killers past mental health issues.
"This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental health care and the systems that should be in place. As we come to understand what happened and why, we must look at the entire situation," wrote Lyles in a statement.
"While I do not know the specifics of the man's medical record, what I have come to understand is that he has long struggled with mental health and appears to have suffered a crisis. This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome."
The Democrat mayor seemed to change her tune with a Saturday tweet no longer focusing on the alleged murder and focusing on Zarutska.
"The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska's life is now public. I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna's family," Lyles wrote on X.
"This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time. Like so many of you, I'm heartbroken - and I've been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city. I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe."
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the situation totally unacceptable.
"Charlotte's Mayor doesn't want the media to show you the ugly truth. Why? Because she and other public officials in her city bear responsibility," Duffy posted on X.
"This monster had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny. By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians. This is totally unacceptable! Safety needs to be the top priority of elected officials. Citizens don't want federal dollars going to public transportation that local leaders refuse to keep safe!"
US Rep. Mark Harris, R-NC8, called the incident a
"microcosm of a national epidemic" and blasted Democrats for their soft-on-crime policies.
On Sunday evening President Donald Trump was asked about the murder by reporters at Joint Base Andrews, where he indicated he has seen the video.
Growing concern over crime in major cities has been a major talking point for the administration over the past few weeks, with the president deploying the National Guard in Washington, DC, and threatening to do so in other major US cities.
The debate is expected to intensify in the Charlotte metro, where voters later this year will decide on a one-cent sales tax hike to fund a $25 billion light rail expansion and other transit projects.
WBT Radio news director Mark Garrison rode the light rail Sunday and reported that security was absent and tickets were unchecked for nearly 75% of his trip, highlighting the way homeless individuals take advantage of CATS' weak enforcement.
"It was interesting to see that when they did check tickets at the train door....several people would not even attempt to get on. That's because so many people have been accustomed to a free ride. Many homeless have ridden the train, some for hours at a time, never paying the fare," Garrison told Carolina Journal.
"The plan from CATS is to have 219 officers. They are 35 short and last week told city council that they're having trouble finding people who want the job."
Garrison acknowledged there were times when riding the light rail left him feeling uneasy.
"Riding the train, I felt a bit edgy. Especially when we passed stops in rougher areas of town, and the train platform had an assortment of homeless pan handlers. No security effort to move them away from the train," said Garrison.
"On a personal note, my grandson loves trains. He and I used to ride light rail for fun every now and then. At this point, I'd be reluctant to take him on it until security is improved."
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