One year after Iryna Zarutska's murder, violent crimes fuel North Carolina public safety debate

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Chet Effler says repeat offending and bail policies have left communities and officers at risk as his union endorses Michael Whatley. A year after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light-rail train, a string of violent attacks involving people with extensive arrest records has kept North Carolina’s public safety debate in the spotlight. The one-year milestone falls as the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police (NCFOP) endorsed Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley, citing concerns about repeat offenders, bail policies and support for law enforcement. Zarutska, 23, was sitting aboard Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line Aug. 22, 2025, when authorities said Decarlos Brown Jr. pulled a knife and stabbed her three times from behind before leaving the train. PROSECUTORS SAY CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING CASE WON'T BE DISMI