Full Footage Reveals Exactly What Happened to Iryna Zarutska

The name Iryna Zarutsuka, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee whose life was cut short on Aug. 22, 2025, has gained nationwide attention, not just after her killing, but in the weeks that followed. That’s because two GoFundMe accounts were created to raise money for the man accused of killing her, Decarlos Dejuan Brown, 34, and more recently, the full footage of her brutal death was released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).

Cameras captured the chain of events before, during, and after the attack, though many news outlets have limited what they shared out of respect for the victim’s family.

Here’s what the footage revealed about what happened on the evening of Aug. 22, when Zarutsuka was killed.

Iryna Zarutsuka was fatally stabbed three times with a pocket knife on Aug. 22, 2025, while on board a light rail train in Charlotte, N.C. The man accused of carrying out the attack, 34-year-old Decarlos Dejuan Brown, has since been charged with first-degree murder, per CNN.

The full footage of Zarutsuka’s killing was released by CATS in early September 2025, revealing exactly what happened and seemingly confirming that the attack was unprovoked. Surveillance video shows Zarutsuka stepping onto the train just before 10 p.m., wearing a Zepeddie’s Pizzeria t-shirt, a hat, headphones, and holding her phone. She takes a seat directly in front of a man in a red hoodie, later identified as Brown, who was resting his head against the window.

At first, Zarutsuka appears focused on her phone. But about four and a half minutes after boarding, Brown can be seen pulling something out, later confirmed to be a pocket knife, before abruptly standing up. With his left hand gripping the seat bar, he swings his right arm back and stabs her in the throat.

What comes next is heartbreaking to watch, which is why many outlets have opted not to show it. Zarutsuka curls her knees to her chest, places a hand over her mouth, and looks back at Brown. Fifteen seconds later, she collapses to the floor. ABC30 Action News reported that other passengers rushed to help, but it was too late.

Brown then walks toward a train exit, hand wrapped, before stepping off, where police then arrest him. While Brown is facing first-degree murder charges, his attorney has filed a motion to have him evaluated for competency before trial.

Brown has a lengthy criminal record, and his sister, Tracey Brown, told CNN he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered from paranoia and hallucinations. At the time of the stabbing, he was homeless.

Murder, in any form, is a tragedy, but the fact that Zarutska was just 23 and had come to the U.S. to escape the war in Ukraine makes it even more heartbreaking. According to her obituary, she emigrated with her mother, sister, and brother in August 2022 in search of a safer life, only to be met with the opposite. Still, during her time here, she embraced her talents and her new life in the U.S., and had dreams of becoming a veterinary assistant.