CHARLOTTE — In an exclusive interview with Good Morning America, the family of Iryna Zarutska called for change to make communities safer Friday morning.
Zarutska was stabbed to death on the light rail three weeks ago by Decarlos Brown. The attack has since gained national attention, sparking investigations by several agencies into the incident and the city’s transit system.
As the family waits for justice in court, Zarutska’s uncle, who asked to remain anonymous, says he wants to see systemic change in his niece’s memory.
“She didn’t deserve that — nobody does,” he said. “Our country has to change on how we deal with these situations, and that requires our leadership to take action, and I need for them to take actions. We can’t just keep doing it the same.”
Zarutska’s uncle said Iryna was “the glue of the family.”
He said she never felt unsafe on the train and used it to get to and from her job at a pizza shop. He has now seen her final moments captured on video.
“I watched that video and the mannerisms that she, it was just terrible,” he said.
Brown has an extensive criminal history. CMPD says he stabbed the 23-year-old woman to death randomly. His mother said he stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia, and she unsuccessfully tried to get him help.
Zarutska’s uncle said she fled war-torn Ukraine in 2022 and has been staying with him, her mom and siblings. He says she was working hard to build a future here.
“Her desire was to go to veterinarian school, and she was making plans to do that, and that was taken from us,” he said. “She had a desire to have a better life, and I think that’s what the American dream is. She wanted better things not just for herself, but for her family and she was working toward that.”
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