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The uncle of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman who was fatally stabbed while riding the Charlotte light rail late last month, spoke out after his niece’s death, saying on Friday that she « didn’t deserve » to be killed.
« Iryna was.she was the glue of the family », the uncle, who requested to not be named, told « Good Morning America. »
Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22 just before 10 p.m. while riding the Blue Lynx Line in Charlotte, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.
The recent release of the attack on video has caused national outrage, with President Donald Trump demanding the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, be « awarded THE DEATH PENALTY » in a social media post on Wednesday.
The victim’s uncle, who described his niece as a « comforter » and « confidant », said Zarutska fled Ukraine and arrived in the United States in 2022, where she was living with her uncle, aunt, mother and siblings before moving in with her boyfriend in May, he said. Officials said Zarutska had lived in a bomb shelter before arriving in the U.S.
He said that Zarutska immediately wanted to go to work once arriving in the United States. After receiving the proper papers, she worked at a sandwich shop and an assisted living home with her mother, according to her uncle.
Zarutska, who was working at a local pizzeria at the time of her death, had a « strong desire to have a better life » and was planning on going to school to become a veterinary assistant, according to her uncle. She was also taking English classes at a community college, he noted.
But her aspirations were « taken from us » on the night of Aug. 22, her uncle said.
That night, Zarutska had just finished work and had « texted her boyfriend that she would be home soon », according to a statement from her family’s attorney.
She boarded the train and sat in an aisle seat in front of the suspect, who is seen wearing an orange sweatshirt, the affidavit noted.
The train travels for « approximately four and a half minutes before the suspect pulls a knife out of his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times », the affidavit said.
