Vi Lyles faces calls to resign after focusing on alleged murderer’s history of mental health problems

Decarlos Brown Jr allegedly stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina

Daniel Bates

08 September 2025

The Democratic mayor of the city where a Ukrainian refugee was allegedly stabbed to death by a known criminal has called for “compassion” for the suspect.

Vi Lyles, the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, said she did not want to “villianise” Decarlos Brown Jr, who is accused of murdering Iryna Zarutska, 23, in an unprovoked attack.

Ms Lyles said that Charlotte “must do better” for people like Mr Brown, who is homeless, as they “need help and have no place to go”.

The comments led to calls on social media for Ms Lyles to resign, with some branding her a “total lunatic” and calling for Donald Trump to send in the National Guard.

The US president said Ms Zarutska was killed by a “madman” and called the incident “evil”.

First-degree murder charges

Mr Brown, 35, who has been arrested 14 times and spent six years in prison for robbery and larceny, is accused of stabbing Ms Zarutska to death on a light rail train in Charlotte on Aug 22.

He faces first-degree murder charges, and a judge has ordered him to be evaluated for the next 60 days at a local hospital.

Disturbing surveillance footage released by the Charlotte area transit system shows the young woman boarding the train and taking a seat in front of Mr Brown, who appears agitated and restless in his seat.

Five minutes into the journey, Mr Brown appears to pull out a fold-out pocket knife, before standing up, and swinging his arm high before allegedly stabbing her three times in the neck.

The court affidavit states that, later on in the footage, “blood visibly drips on the floor as the defendant walks away from the victim”.

“The victim goes unresponsive shortly after the attack. The defendant is the assailant on the video. There appears to be no interaction between the victim and defendant,” the affidavit continues.

Ms Lyles had earlier suggested the footage had not been shared widely out of respect for the victim’s family.

“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public,” she said. “I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family.”

In her statement regarding Mr Brown, Ms Lyles focused on his history of mental health problems, including schizophrenia.

The statement said: “First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the young woman’s family and friends.

“This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place. As we come to understand what happened and why, we must look at the entire situation.”

The statement, which did not even refer to Ms Zarutska by name, said that Mr Brown had “suffered a crisis” with his mental health.

She said: “I want to be clear that I am not villainising those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused. Mental health disease is just that – a disease like any other that needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer or heart disease.

“Also, those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators. Too many people who are on the street need a safe place to sleep and wrap around services to lift them up.

“We, as a community, must do better for those members of our community who need help and have no place to go.”

‘Charlotte failed Zarutska’

Mr Trump addressed the killing at a hearing of the Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC on Monday.

He said: “I just give my love and hope to the family of the young woman who was stabbed this morning or last night? There we go, in Charlotte by a madman.

“A lunatic just got up and started. It’s right on the tape, not really watchable, because it’s so horrible, but just viciously stabbed. She’s just sitting there. No thank you. So they’re evil people to be able to handle that, if we don’t handle that, we don’t have a country.”

After Ms Lyles’ statement was released, Sean Duffy, Mr Trump’s transport secretary, tore into her on X.

He wrote: “Charlotte’s mayor doesn’t want the media to show you the ugly truth. Why? Because she and other public officials in her city bear responsibility.”

Citing the suspect’s criminal record, Mr Duffy added: “By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians.”

Podcast host Alec Lace said that Ms Lyles should quit and, in a post on X, said: “She didn’t even mention the name of [the] killer Decarlos Brown.”

Right-wing commentator Collin Rugg wrote on X that Ms Lyles was a “total lunatic”.

Taking to Truth Social on Monday, Mr Trump wrote: “I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and… was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. 

“The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL…what the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP. 

“The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrat…every state, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it! 

“Additionally, where is the outrage from the mainstream media on this horrible tragedy?”

In her obituary, Ms Zarutska’s family said she and her relatives had emigrated to the US in August 2022, six months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

They called her a “gifted and passionate artist” and said she graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in Art and Restoration.

The obituary said: “She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork. She loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.”

Ms Zarutska wanted to become a vet because of her “deep love for animals”, the obituary said.

A GoFundMe set up by her family has so far raised $79,000 out of a goal of $110,000.

But a GoFundMe account set up for Mr Brown was pulled soon after it was set up and garnered $5 in donations out of a $35,000 goal.

The fundraiser claimed that the suspect had been “failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina, and as such is not entirely to blame for what happened”.