Newly released footage from the murder of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, N.C. captures the moments when bystanders tried to help her as she bled on the floor of a public train.
Passengers gathered around in an apparent attempt to massage Iryna Zarutska’s wounds after she was fatally stabbed on the night of Aug. 22, as shown in extended video footage released Tuesday by Headline USA. The suspect, a mentally ill homeless man with a lengthy criminal record, now faces local and federal charges and could be put to death if convicted in federal court, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Tuesday.
US Attorney of the Western District of North Carolina said that Iryna Zarutska’s family told the Ukrainian Embassy they would bury her here because “she loved America.” @DailyCallerpic.twitter.com/lNoboqSLhT
— Nicole Silverio (@NicoleMSilverio) September 9, 2025
The assailant, identified as DeCarlos Brown, is seen on surveillance video seated behind Zarutska for several minutes before suddenly standing up, raising his arm and stabbing her three times. Zarutska, 23, looked up in shock as the stabber began pacing around the train, blood dripping from him.
Zarutska put her face in her hands and slowly tipped over, falling unconscious, as the suspect remarked, “I got that white girl. I got that white girl,” the video shows. One of Zarutska’s stab wounds was to the middle of her throat, according to a police affidavit. Brown was later found on an outbound platform for the light rail system, police said.
After passengers gathered around Zarutska, a young man was seen laying her on her back as blood began spilling across the floor of the train and appeared to wipe her neck with napkins. One person was heard exclaiming, “Oh, my God” as others became aware of the situation.
Another man and woman bent over to assist the young man, who temporarily took off his shirt to apply it to Zarutska’s body. The group of bystanders was seen lifting her body toward a wider space on the floor of the train as they waited for police to arrive.
Zarutska emigrated from Ukraine with her family to the U.S. in 2022 to escape Russia’s invasion of the country, according to her obituary. Her family has chosen to have her buried in the U.S. because “she loved America,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said Tuesday.
Brown had at least 14 prior arrests on his record and was released from jail in January on a “written promise to appear” after being charged with misusing the 911 system during one of his mental episodes. Brown’s mother told local media that he had a history of aggressive behavior and should not have been allowed on the streets.
The DOJ said Tuesday it has not ruled out the possibility of civil rights charges for the murder. “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,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
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