Newly obtained video captures the moments before a suspect got on a train in North Carolina and allegedly stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska to death, as well as getting off the train and being placed in handcuffs.
This screengrab made from video provided by the Charlotte Area Transit System shows Iryna Zarutska, bottom right, before she was fatally stabbed on a commuter train on Aug. 22, 2025. (Charlotte Area Transit System via AP)
The footage, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, reportedly shows Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, on a platform near a Charlotte Area Transit System light rail train on August 22.
The video also shows the aftermath of the attack, while a separate video shows officers arresting him, the media outlet noted.
One surveillance clip shows Brown, who appears to be wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, and carrying a red sweatshirt, pacing along the platform.
In a separate video, he is seen getting off the train while still holding the sweatshirt as he walks down the platform. At one point, he appears to stop at a bench, where he folds the sweatshirt.
Fox News Digital said a third video shows at least five police officers arriving at the scene and approaching him.
Prior to the officers’ arrival, Brown is seen pacing near the light-rail tracks, his right hand wrapped in cloth,” the media outlet reported. “Officers approach with weapons drawn, ordering him to the ground.”
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police previously said Brown was taken to Atrium Health with non-life-threatening injuries he sustained during the attack. He was released from the hospital a week later and taken into police custody.
Records from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office show Brown has been arrested at least 14 times on a variety of offenses, including assault. He was reportedly homeless at the time of the attack.
Police said Brown was charged with first-degree murder in connection to Zarutska’s death.
A GoFundMe account that was set up to help Zarutska’s loved ones with funeral expenses noted that Zarutska recently arrived in the U.S. seeking safety from the Russia-Ukraine war. Authorities said she escaped a bomb shelter before she made her way to North Carolina — only to be violently murdered.
Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon,” according to the GoFundMe, which was created on August 23. As of Thursday afternoon, more than $475,000 was raised.
Shortly after Zarutska’s death, President Donald Trump described Brown as a “deranged monster.” Considering Brown’s history with police, the president questioned why he was on the train instead of behind bars.
We cannot allow a depraved criminal element of violent repeat offenders to continue spreading destruction and death throughout our country,” Trump said in a video the White House shared. “We have to respond with force and strength. We have to be vicious, just like they are. It’s the only thing they understand.”
Zarutska’s obituary noted that she emigrated from Ukraine with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war, and “quickly embraced her new life” in the U.S.
If convicted, Brown faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.