Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who had recently fled to the United States from the war in Ukraine, was killed in a knife attack at a train station in North Carolina last week.

Source: The New York Post, citing local police reports

Details: Iryna was killed by a homeless career criminal. The tragedy occurred at the East/West Boulevard station in the South End neighbourhood of the city of Charlotte on the evening of 22 August. Police reported that Iryna had sustained multiple stab wounds and died at the scene.

Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine confirmed the woman’s death in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life).

She had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning”, according to a GoFundMe page created to support Zarutska’s aunt and other family members during the “heartbreaking time”.

Photos released by local TV channel WSOC-TV showed police taping off the platform and train at the station that night. The Charlotte Observer said police have not yet confirmed whether the stabbing occurred on the train, on the platform or nearby.

The suspect, 34-year-old homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr., was arrested. He was first taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, then charged with first-degree murder.

Updated: The attacker should be taken into custody after receiving medical treatment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.

“The Embassy of Ukraine in the United States is in constant contact with the competent authorities, a police detective conducting the investigation, as well as the mother of the deceased Ukrainian citizen. The case remains under the oversight of the diplomatic mission,” the ministry added.

Court records show Brown has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 2011, including felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats.

The Charlotte Observer says some previous charges against Brown were dropped, but in January 2025, he was charged with misuse of the 911 line after police conducted a mental health check.

Brown told officers he believed someone had implanted a “man-made” substance in his body that controlled his eating, walking and speaking.

“Brown wanted officers to investigate this ‘man-made’ material that was inside of his body,” The Charlotte Observer quoted from an affidavit.

These statements suggest possible mental health issues that were known before the tragedy.

Police have not released information on what led to the deadly stabbing of the Ukrainian woman. The investigation is ongoing.

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