People don’t want to live in cities where they feel unsafe.

On the evening of Aug. 22, Iryna Zarutska hopped on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. A Ukrainian refugee fleeing the brutal Russian invasion of her homeland, Zarutska felt comfortable enough to take public transit.

She sat there near the rear exit, listening to music and scrolling on her phone, perhaps reading the latest updates on the war in Ukraine. A man sitting behind suddenly stood up, holding a pocket-knife in his hand, and brought the weapon down on her neck, reportedly stabbing her three times.

The shattering footage shows a terrified, 23-year-old Zarutska curled up like a child as she realizes what is happening to her. She died moments later.

Soon after, 34-year old Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. was arrest

See Full Page