Witnesses describe horror after Ukrainian refugee stabbed on Charlotte train in newly released 911 phone calls
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/newscomauhq
Witnesses have described the horror they saw after a Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte.
In August, Iryna Zarutska was stabbed in what appeared to be a completely random attack, with Decarlos Brown Jr. arrested just minutes later, after he was met by police at the next stop.
Zarutska was a refugee in America after she fled the war in Ukraine with her mother, sister and brother. She was just 23 years old.
Video footage showed Zarutska boarding the CATS Blue Line while wearing headphones, as she took a seat in the row in front of Brown, who had his hand over his face. The pair did not interact in any way, as Zarutska proceeded to look at her phone on the train journey.
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Brown appeared to remove something from his pocket a few moments later, before walking to the other side of the train after Zarutska was stabbed.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have since released audio of witnesses who called 911 in the aftermath of the horrific incident.
In one of the frantic calls obtained by Fox News, one witness said: "This man f******* stabbed her for no reason," while another witness quipped: "This lady just got stabbed … I’m not sure where we are … There’s a tall building. There’s a lady on the ground. She’s bleeding a lot. I don’t think she’s responsive. There is a lot of blood."
The unidentified caller added: "Everyone is screaming. People are freaking out. There are people around her right now. She looks young … I don't know. I don't think she's responsive right now. There's a lot of blood.
"I think she's dead. She's not responding. There's a lot of blood. There is no pulse. I think she's gone."
Meanwhile, a third witness immediately sounded panicked by shouting she thought the victim was dead, while a fourth explained that the person who allegedly stabbed the Ukrainian was a 'Black male, dreadlocks, his hair wrapped up, a black T-shirt and blue jeans. His hand is wrapped up'.
An affidavit stated that police recovered a folding knife near the platform, as authorities found Zarutska unresponsive when they boarded the train.
After she was stabbed three times, including in the 'middle of the throat', Zarutska was pronounced dead after receiving initial medical treatment.
Brown has since been charged with first-degree murder, as well as committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
He is yet to enter a plea on these charges.