Overview

• Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22 while riding Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line.
• Transit surveillance shows the assailant pull a folding knife, attack from behind, walk through the car, and exit at the next stop where a knife was later recovered.
• Police arrested 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. on Aug. 28 on a first-degree murder charge; he is held without bond, a competency evaluation was ordered, and investigators have not identified a motive.
• Court records detail Brown’s longstanding criminal history, including robbery with a dangerous weapon and larceny, prior prison time, and a January arrest tied to unusual mental-health claims.
• CATS says it has hired a chief safety officer, tripled its safety budget, and begun camera upgrades, the City Council will consider expanded patrols on Sept. 22, and a GoFundMe for Zarutska’s family neared $75,000 as the platform removed pages seeking funds for the accused.