23-year-old Ukrainian model Iryna Zarutska, a refugee in the US, was fatally stabbed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 22/8. Initially receiving little media attention, her death became a focal point after Republican lawmakers and influential right-wing figures shared CCTV footage of the incident last week.
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Ukrainian model Iryna Zarutska. Photo: Instagram/Iryna Zarutska |
Ukrainian model Iryna Zarutska. Photo: Instagram/Iryna Zarutska
The murder has been used to bolster support for former President Donald Trump's proposal to deploy troops to Democrat-led cities like Chicago. While Trump's opponents object, Republicans maintain it's a necessary measure to combat crime.
"These are bad people," Trump posted on social media on 8/9, describing the attacker as "a career criminal" with 14 prior arrests. He argued that Zarutska's "blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to lock up the wicked".
"North Carolina and every other state needs law and order. Only the Republican party will bring it!", Trump emphasized.
Video released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., sitting alone on the train wearing a red hoodie. He appears restless, shaking his head and seemingly muttering to himself.
The moment the Ukrainian model was murdered on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Video: CATS
At approximately 9:50 PM, Zarutska boarded the train and sat in the seat directly in front of Brown. He looked at her, pulled a folding knife from his pocket, opened it, and lunged at her, stabbing her three times in the neck. Zarutska collapsed and died at the scene. Brown then removed his bloodstained hoodie, left the train, and discarded the weapon near the station.
Zarutska had recently left Kyiv, Ukraine, seeking refuge from the war and a new beginning in the US. She was working at a pizza restaurant. The murder gained national attention following the response of Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. The Democratic mayor offered condolences to the victim's family but didn't initially name Zarutska in her statement. Instead, she focused on the suspect's condition.
"I don't want to villainize people who are struggling with mental health issues or people experiencing homelessness," she stated.
The mayor's statement drew immediate criticism. When the video of the murder surfaced last week, Lyles asked the media not to share it "out of respect for Iryna’s family." This triggered a strong backlash from the right wing.
"The mayor of Charlotte doesn’t want the media to show you the cold hard truth. Why? Because she and other officials in her city are responsible," former US Representative Sean Duffy posted on X on 7/9.
The following day, he accused Democrats of "downplaying the severity of similar murders by saying we can't villainize the homeless or mentally ill".
Stephen Miller, a former advisor to Trump, accused Democrats of "siding with the inhumane and depraved".
Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington and warned of similar action in Chicago, the third-largest US city, to ensure security, despite both cities experiencing significant crime reduction in recent years.
Vu Hoang (AFP)
