Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was tragically fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train after fleeing the war in search of safety in the U.S. The attack happened without warning, carried out by Decarlos Brown Jr., who later told his sister in a recorded jail call that he didn’t know Zarutska and alluded to outside forces causing him to “lash out.”
Brown’s family revealed that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and had claimed the government implanted a chip in him. They argue he should never have been released without receiving proper treatment.
Zarutska’s family is left grieving and demanding justice, as well as systemic reforms to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. This heartbreaking incident raises serious concerns about mental health care, public safety, and how individuals with severe mental illness are supported and monitored.
