Security footage released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows the moments leading up to the death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska. The Ukrainian model was fatally stabbed last month in a seemingly unprovoked attack on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The video, released by the Telegraph, shows 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. sitting alone on the train on the night of 22/8. Wearing a red hoodie, Brown appears restless, occasionally shaking his head and seemingly muttering to himself.
At approximately 9:50 pm, Zarutska boarded the train and sat in the seat directly in front of Brown. He glances at her, pulls a folding knife from his pocket, opens it, and suddenly lunges forward, stabbing her three times in the neck.
Zarutska collapsed in her seat and died at the scene. After the attack, Brown removed his bloodstained hoodie, exited the train, and discarded the weapon near the station.
Zarutska's family said she had recently left Kyiv, Ukraine, seeking refuge from the war and hoping for a new beginning in the US. She was working at a pizza restaurant at the time of her death.
Brown, who is homeless and has a history of mental illness and prior arrests, was apprehended shortly after the incident and taken to a hospital for self-inflicted injuries sustained during the attack. The motive for the stabbing remains unclear.
In 2011, Brown Jr. was arrested for armed robbery and communicating threats and served a five-year prison sentence. Earlier this year, he was charged with misusing the 911 emergency number, telling police that "artificial materials were controlling his behavior from the inside," suggesting mental health issues.
 |
Ukrainian model Iryna Zarutska. Photo: WBTV |
Brown Jr. is currently charged with first-degree murder. He was transferred from the hospital to jail on 29/8. Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles expressed gratitude to US media outlets for refraining from reporting on the incident or releasing the video earlier out of respect for Zarutska's family.
"Now, the video of the brutal attack that took Zarutska's life has been released," she said. "I want to thank those who have refrained from sharing these images until now."
Duc Trung (Telegraph, WBTV)
