Iryna Zarutska was a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed on August 22, 2025, at a Lynx Blue Line light rail station in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had fled Ukraine with her family due to the Russian invasion. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia, stabbed her multiple times on the train and was arrested shortly after. The killing sparked wide outrage, discussions on transit security, mental health, and criminal justice system gaps. The case drew international attention and has been politically charged in the U.S. Additionally, Iryna's father, Stanislav Zarutsky, was unable to attend her funeral in the U.S. because Ukrainian authorities denied him permission to leave the country, citing his conscription age due to ongoing war conditions in Ukraine. This has caused distress and controversy around the situation.