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A brutal, unprovoked attack on a Charlotte light rail passenger has left a young Ukrainian refugee dead and the city asking how this could have been allowed to happen. Authorities have arrested Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. and charged him with first-degree murder, while federal prosecutors added a count for causing death on a mass transportation system. This is the kind of violence that shatters communities and demands the full force of the law.
The victim, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, came to America fleeing war and was simply trying to make a living and build a new life when she was senselessly attacked and stabbed in the throat. Her family and neighbors are rightly devastated, and their grief should be the country’s call to action to secure public spaces and honor those who seek refuge here under our laws. No immigrant who comes here legally should have to fear for her life riding public transit in a city that has lost control of its streets.
Public records show this accused killer is no stranger to law enforcement, with a long string of arrests, convictions, and documented interactions where he displayed troubling behavior. Officers who encountered him earlier this year released bodycam footage in which he complained of being controlled by a “man-made material,” and he had been arrested for misuse of 911 in January, raising questions about how seriously mental-health and public-safety warnings were taken. We must treat mental illness with compassion, but we cannot let it become an excuse for repeated releases that put ordinary citizens at risk.
Too many of these tragedies follow the same pattern: a repeat offender, a judge who favors release over public safety, and a system that rationalizes failure while the public pays the price. National leaders and local officials have decried the case, and even former President Trump demanded accountability as Americans watched surveillance footage and demanded justice. If our courts and prosecutors will not protect commuters, lawmakers must step in with laws that prioritize victims and common-sense public safety.
This attack is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing rise in violence on mass transit that disproportionately harms working Americans who cannot avoid public transportation. Charlotte’s commuters—nurses, service workers, students—deserve police and transit authorities that enforce the law, not slogans that excuse criminality. Cities that have embraced softness toward violent offenders must wake up to the reality that permissive policies have devastating, real-world consequences.
Let’s be clear about facts: the narrative pushed by some outlets that this was an “illegal migrant” attack is misleading and distracts from the core failures here—repeat criminality, mental-health warning signs, and policy choices that let dangerous people return to the streets. The victim in this case was a refugee who sought safety, and our duty is to defend people who come here lawfully while ensuring our justice system locks up those who prey on the innocent. Conservatives have long argued for secure borders and strong law enforcement for precisely these reasons—freedom and safety are inseparable.
Federal prosecutors have signaled they may seek the harshest penalties available given the brutality of the killing and the federal law implicated by violence on a mass transportation system. That’s appropriate; when an act terrifies a city and ends a young life, the justice system should reflect the seriousness of the crime and send an unmistakable message that such behavior will not be tolerated. We owe it to Iryna, her family, and every commuter who uses public transit to see justice done swiftly and visibly.
Americans who work hard and play by the rules are tired of hearing excuses while civic leaders fail to keep streets and trains safe. Now is the time for decisive action: hold accountable the judges and officials who enabled this pattern, fund mental-health services that actually protect the public, and restore common-sense policies that keep violent repeat offenders behind bars. Stand with the victim, stand for justice, and demand a government that honors the safety and dignity of every law-abiding citizen.
