Newly released shocking video footage has revealed the horrific final moments of a young Ukrainian refugee being stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in what police described as a random and unwarned attack.
Accident details
Irina Zarutska, 23, had recently fled the war in in search of a safe life in the United States. On the evening of August 22, while boarding a Lynx Blue Line train in Charlotte, she was tragically stabbed to death.
According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, surveillance cameras captured the moments Zarutska boarded the train at 9:46 p.m., wearing her pizza restaurant uniform and sitting engrossed in her phone.
Just four minutes later, the suspect, identified as DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, pulled out a knife and stabbed her three times, at least once in the neck, according to the police report.
Post-stabbing
Footage shows Brown taking off his jacket after and heading toward the carriage door as passengers began to notice blood.
Meanwhile, Zarutska clutched her neck, bleeding profusely, before collapsing in her seat and being later pronounced dead at the scene.
Brown left the train at the next station, where police later found the knife he used. He was arrested after receiving treatment for a hand injury and charged with first-degree murder.
extensive criminal record and psychological problems
According to court records, Brown has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2011, including charges such as robbery, threatening, and assault with a dangerous weapon.
He also spent 5 years in prison for robbery with
Investigations are ongoing
Police are still investigating the possible motive for the crime, amid grief and anger among the local community, which was shocked by the killing of a refugee who was simply seeking a safe life away from war.