Daijiworld Media Network - Charlotte

Charlotte, Sep 7: A 23-year-old Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zarutska, who had fled war-torn Ukraine for safety in the United States, was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train by a career criminal, police said. The attack on the Lynx Blue Line on August 22 was captured on surveillance footage released Friday by the Charlotte Area Transit System.

The video shows Ms Zarutska, dressed in her pizzeria uniform, sitting on the train and scrolling through her phone when 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. approached her. Police reported he stabbed her three times, including once in the neck. She collapsed in her seat and was pronounced dead on board.

Brown, who has a criminal record dating back to 2011 with prior convictions for robbery and threats, exited at the next stop. Police later recovered the knife and took him into custody after hospital treatment for a hand injury. He has been charged with first-degree murder.

Authorities have not yet disclosed a motive for the attack, which has sparked renewed concerns over public safety and the risks faced by vulnerable asylum seekers in the US.