A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee was brutally murdered on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, after being stabbed multiple times by a suspect during an apparent attack. The victim, identified as Iryna Zarutska, was fatally wounded at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in South End on August 22.

Surveillance footage released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows Zarutska boarding the Lynx Blue Line at 9:46 p.m., wearing a pizzeria uniform and seated near the rear of the train. Four minutes later, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. allegedly pulled out a folding knife and stabbed her three times, with at least one wound to her neck. The video captures Zarutska clutching her neck as blood pooled on the floor before collapsing.

Brown then reportedly walked through the rail car, removed his sweatshirt, and waited by the doors while passengers noticed blood dripping from him. After exiting the train at the next stop, authorities located him shortly after. Brown, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the attack, was charged with First Degree Murder and arrested following his release from a medical facility.

Zarutska, described as a recent Ukrainian immigrant seeking safety from the ongoing conflict in her homeland, had been part of a GoFundMe campaign organized by her family. The fundraiser highlighted her aspirations for a new beginning in the United States before her death.

Brown has a history of criminal activity, including prior arrests for larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and communicating threats since 2011. No further details about his motives or connection to Zarutska have been disclosed by investigators.