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FIRST ON FOX: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has released audio of five 911 calls made in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, 23, on a Charlotte light rail train.
In one of the 911 calls, obtained by Fox News Digital, one caller told dispatchers: «This man f—— stabbed her for no reason» as muffled sobs could be heard in the background.
Another caller struggled to orient first responders to the scene, saying, «This lady just got stabbed. … I’m not sure where we are. … There’s a tall building. There’s a lady on the ground. She’s bleeding a lot. I don’t think she’s responsive. There is a lot of blood.»
Iryna Zarutska curls up in fear as a man looms over her during a disturbing attack on a Charlotte, N.C., light rail train. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
TRAIN STABBING SUSPECT MAKES CLAIMS ABOUT DEADLY ATTACK IN JAILHOUSE CALL
«Everyone is screaming. People are freaking out,» the female caller continued. «There are people around her right now. She looks young. … I don’t know. I don’t think she’s responsive right now. There’s a lot of blood.
«I think she’s dead. She’s not responding,» she continued. «She was stabbed in the carotid [artery] I believe. There’s a lot of blood. There is no pulse. I think she’s gone.»
Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska came to the U.S. to escape war but was stabbed to death in Charlotte. (Evgeniya Rush/GoFundMe)
A third man, sounding panicked, told 911 operators, «A girl got stabbed on the train. I think she’s dead, man. I think she might be dead.»
A fourth caller explained that the suspect was a «Black male, dreadlocks, his hair wrapped up, a black T-shirt and blue jeans. His hand is wrapped up.»
The fifth and final caller to the MPD explained that the stabbing took place and the operator told her that help was on the way.
Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, was killed while riding a train in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 22, 2025. (lucaveros225/Instagram; WBTV)
IRYNA ZARUTSKA’S FAMILY DEMANDS JUSTICE IN FIRST STATEMENT SINCE ‘HORRIFIC’ STABBING
According to a police affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police responded to an emergency call from the Lynx Blue Line near 1821 Camden Road on Aug. 22. Witnesses reported that a man had stabbed a woman in the throat inside a train car.
Officers arrived to find 34-year-old Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. on the outbound platform, wearing clothing that matched the suspect’s description, court documents revealed. Authorities said he had a cut on his right hand and was taken into custody after receiving medical attention.
Officers recovered a folding knife near the outbound light rail platform, the affidavit said.
Iryna Zarutska cowers as her attacker towers over her. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
Boarding public transportation, authorities found Zarutska unresponsive with a stab wound to the «middle of her throat.» The young Ukrainian refugee was stabbed three times in the middle of her throat, the affidavit said.
Despite immediate medical attention, she was pronounced dead at 10:05 p.m.
Booking photo of Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., taken Aug. 28, 2025, days after the fatal light rail stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office )
Brown was arrested shortly after the attack and hospitalized before being charged with first-degree murder. Federal authorities also charged him with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
«Iryna Zarutska had likely taken that train ride many times before. She was probably tired after a day at work and just wanted to go home, but tragically she never made it,» James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Charlotte special agent in charge, said.
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«We hope this federal charge will help bring her family a measure of justice, and the courts will hold the subject charged in this horrific act accountable. Everyone in this country deserves to go to work, to school or just across town without fear of being attacked.»
