William Brangham:
The security camera video from the Charlotte light rail system is very hard to watch, and we’re not going to show it in full; 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska boards a train after work and takes a seat.
Behind her in the red hoodie is Decarlos Brown Jr., who authorities say was homeless and mentally ill. Brown opens a pocket knife, gets up, and stabs Zarutska in the neck. She had fled Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and settled in North Carolina. She died on the spot.
Brown was charged in federal court today. According to authorities, he had previously spent time in prison for robbery and had repeatedly shown troubling, erratic behavior, from attacking and biting his sister to calling police saying he was being controlled by some manmade substance. His mother told local news that he was schizophrenic.
This horrible crime has now been seized on by Republicans to depict Democratic-run cities like Charlotte as being plagued by widespread violence and mayhem. Charlotte’s police say violent crime so far this year is down 25 percent compared to last year.
Many Republicans, all the way up to the president, have blamed Democrats for this murder. President Trump posted this today:
Donald Trump, President of the United States: For far too long, Americans have been forced to put up with Democrat-run cities that set loose savage, bloodthirsty criminals to prey on innocent people.
