By President Donald Trump on Monday denounced the killing of a young Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, describing the crime as a horrific reminder of unchecked violence in American cities.
Speaking at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, Trump addressed the August 22 stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally attacked aboard the Lynx Blue Line. Surveillance footage released Friday shows Zarutska, wearing earbuds and looking at her phone, seated when 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. suddenly pulled a pocket knife and stabbed her three times in the neck. She collapsed in her seat as Brown, removing a red sweatshirt while blood dripped from his hand, exited the train at the next stop, where police arrested him.
“There are evil people, and we have to confront that. I just give my love and hope to the family of the young woman who was stabbed this morning or last night in Charlotte by a madman,” Trump told reporters.
“A lunatic just got up and started — it’s right on the tape, not really watchable, because it’s so horrible, — but just viciously stabbed. She’s just sitting there. So they’re evil people. We have to be able to handle that. If we don’t handle that, we don’t have a country,” Trump said, following Friday’s release of security footage showing the sickening killing, allegedly carried out by career criminal Decarlos Brown, 34.
The president also referenced the recent mass shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, which left two children dead and over a dozen wounded, and pledged to end senseless violence, reported The New York Post.
“We’re going to get to the end of it. And you know, when you have horrible killings, you have to take horrible actions,” Trump said, before blaming cashless bail for violent criminals reoffending.
“And the actions that we take are nothing — this cashless bail started a wave in our country where a killer kills somebody and is out on the street by the afternoon, in many cases, going out and going against cashless bail,” he said.
Zarutska had fled Ukraine in 2022 seeking safety from the war, according to reports. A GoFundMe page created for her family described her as a “gifted and passionate artist” who dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant. Friends said she had a “heart of gold” and was always supportive of others.
Brown, the suspect, has a criminal record dating back to 2011 that includes armed robbery, larceny, and threats. He previously served five years in prison for armed robbery. Following his arrest last month, he was treated for a hand laceration, and a judge ordered a competency evaluation.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also condemned Charlotte officials, calling the murder a failure of local leadership. “This monster had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny. By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians,” Duffy said.
Charlotte’s Mayor doesn’t want the media to show you the ugly truth. Why? Because she and other public officials in her city bear responsibility.
This monster had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and… https://t.co/86kIwPZhdN
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) September 7, 2025
The killing has intensified debate over the safety of public transportation and stirred outrage on social media over why Brown was free despite his record. Brown is scheduled to appear in court again on September 19.
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