Mayor Faces Backlash for Defending Suspect in Deadly Train Attack

On September 8th, 2025, a tragic incident occurred on a Charlotte, North Carolina train, where a Ukrainian refugee named Iryna Zarutska was brutally stabbed to death. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., had a history of mental health issues and arrests, according to local authorities.

In the aftermath of the attack, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles issued a statement addressing the incident. Lyles said that Brown Jr. had "struggled with mental issues" and that it "looked likely that he suffered a crisis." The mayor emphasized that mental health problems should be treated with the same compassion as physical illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease.

However, Lyles' comments sparked outrage on social media, with many users expressing that her remarks diminished the suspect's accountability. One user wrote, "A mayor who excuses throat-slashers is unfit to lead anything, let alone a city." Another user bluntly stated, "She shouldn't be a mayor."

The mayor also acknowledged that the incident highlighted gaps in the city's mental health safety net, stating that "we will never arrest our way out [of] issues such as homelessness and mental health." Lyles added that the community should not be "villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused."

The surveillance footage of the attack showed the brutal incident, where Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who had fled Kyiv after Russia's full-scale invasion, was stabbed three times, including once in the throat. The suspect was later arrested and now faces murder charges.