Shooting and Murders and One Victim is a Child "In Safe Charlotte"

Charlotte is 'by and large a safe city" according to Charlotte's "Queen Bee" Mayor Vi Lyles but that's hard to believe when your a family member of the two most recent homicide victims. One just four years old.

According to CMPD:

On Tuesday, Sept. 16, at approximately 1:42 a.m., officers responded to an Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Injury call for service in the 5600 block of Albemarle Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims with gunshot wounds. Both victims were transported by MEDIC to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. One victim was pronounced deceased at the hospital. 

and then.....

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, at approximately 6:02 a.m., officers responded to a Stolen Vehicle call for service in the 2200 block of Cigar Court in the Steele Creek Division off South Tryon Highway 49. Upon investigation, officers discovered one victim with gunshot wounds. The victim just four years old was pronounced deceased on scene by MEDIC.

Update

According to independent news source Tina Quizon in the Steele Creek homicide the victim is a 4 yr old fatally shot in their sleep in Charlotte NC from a shootout this morning during a Car Jacking, Queen City News reports - “CMPD states that gunfire hit the second floor of a townhome, killing a 4-year-old boy. Police believe the shooting into the home was intentional.…

As of 12 Noon CMPD Officers were still on the scene. No word on suspects but CMPD is looking for a Black Dodge Charger with "Red Brake Calipers" 

It might look like the above Charger should we have a better description we will up date this
stock photo" with a real photo. 

Murder Charges Against Maya Jena Jones Dropped

Murder charge against Maya Jena Jones in the stabbing death of her boyfriend Sharmaree Dezmond Bell-Brown was quietly dismissed at month.

Jones was released from custody by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff on August 1, 2025 after the charge of murder was dismissed. The Mecklenburg DA felt they did not have a case and could not proceed.

Jones was living at the home of her boyfriend's mother when she stabbed Bell - Brown in the chest with a kitchen knife.

In Charlotte justice is scarce, a hard commodity to obtain, in part due to the local media's emphasis on the latest sensational stories rather than follow up news. Perhaps in part to the fact that they are also controlled by their media partner the City of Charlotte Mayor's Office?

Police Affidavit

On Monday, March 24, 2025, at 0150 hours, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers responded to 3419 Burkland Drive, Apartment in reference to an Assault with Deadly Weapon with Injury call for service. 

The 911 caller stated that his brother was stabbed. The victim, Shamaree Dezmond Bell-Brown (Brown) (B/M, 08/21/2004), was found to be suffering from apparent stab wounds. The victim was pronounced deceased at 0228 hours by Dr. Nowak at Novant Presbyterian Main (Novant). 2.) Detectives are conducting Murder investigation in violation of N.C.G.S. 14-17 under CMPD Report 20250324-0150-01.

Detectives spoke with witness who identified themselves to law enforcement. The witness stated that they were woken up by an occupant in their residence stating that the victim and the defendant were fighting downstairs. 

The witness stated that they observed the victim holding the defendant's arms away from him, and the witness observed kitchen knife in the defendant's hand. The witness stated that they attempted to separate the two, and observed the defendant stab the victim in the chest.

Detectives interviewed the defendant, Maya Jena Jones (Jones) (B/F, 12/21/2004), who voluntarily waived her rights. Jones stated that she got into verbal argument with the victim. Jones stated that she went into the kitchen and grabbed kitchen knife. Jones stated that she struck the victim while she was holding the knife.

Jones stated that the victim began strangling her, so she stabbed him. Jones stated that she attempted to stab the victim more than once.

Jones and the victim are in dating relationship, and Jones is approximately three to four months pregnant.

Based on the facts obtained during the investigation, there is probable cause that First Degree Murder occurred and Maya Jena Jones (Jones) (B/F, 12/21/2004), committed these offenses.

Assistant DA's Reason for dismissal

The undersigned prosecutor provides the following additional information pertaining to the dismissal entered in this case: On March 24, 2025 the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) received call for service for an assault with deadly weapon with injury at 3419 Burkland Drive, Apartment A. 

When CMPD arrived they found 20-year-old Shamaree Bell-Brown suffering from two stab wounds; one to his chest and the other, superficial wound, to his lower back. Shamaree was transported to Novant Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

CMPD processed the scene and located blood on the kitchen floor, blood spatter on the walls and cabinets, and a towel with blood on the kitchen floor. The knife block on the kitchen counter was missing one knife, which was located with blood on the blade on the couch in the living room. There were two cell phones on the couch.

Shamaree's mother, Chenia Brown, stated she was asleep when her 13-year-old son woke her up stating Shamaree and the defendant, Shamaree's girlfriend, were fighting downstairs. 

Ms. Brown stated she went downstairs and in the kitchen. The kitchen light was off, but she saw Shamaree holding both the defendant's wrists above her head. Ms. Brown saw kitchen knife in the defendant's right hand and Shamaree was stating, "Mom, tell her to stop hitting me". Ms. Brown stated she moved between the two and that's when the defendant reached over Ms. Brown and stabbed Shamaree. 

Ms. Brown turned on the kitchen light and saw blood coming from Shamaree. Ms. Brown told her 13-year-old to call 911 and then used towel to try to stop the bleeding. Ms. Brown stated the defendant is always starting physical fights with Shamaree and threatened to stab Shamaree several days prior. 

Ms. Brown stated Shamaree doesn't go around hitting females and that he wasn't aggressive to the defendant at all. She said the only thing Shamaree ever did was fight his 13- year-old brother one time.

A brief initial statement was obtained from the 13-year-old living in the house, but formal therapeutic interview to obtain more detail was declined by Ms. Brown.

The defendant spoke with CMPD on scene and said she was arguing with Shamaree because she did not want Shamaree to touch her. She was pregnant with his child, they started arguing, and Shamaree became aggressive and started choking her. 

The defendant stated she "would've been missing if [she] didn't do it".

At the hospital the defendant told hospital staff she was asleep and woke up to the Shamaree trying to digitally penetrate her. She was

startled and they started to argue. 

She decided to leave, but Shamaree wouldn't let her. She went to the kitchen and said, "I don't want tohurt you". Shamaree was coming at her aggressively, so she slapped him, and he immediately grabbed her and started strangling her. The defendant stated she couldn't breathe, so she tapped him to tell him she couldn't breathe. 

The defendant said Shamaree's mother came downstairs and the sound of his mother on the stairs is what made him stop.

The defendant was also interviewed by homicide detectives at the law enforcement center. She restated much of what she said at the hospital adding she got the knife when Shamaree followed her into the kitchen as she tried to leave. 

She stated she did not recall stabbing Shamaree in the back, and it must have happened while she was swinging her arms while he was choking her. As Shamaree was choking the defendant, they heard Ms. Brown coming down the stairs and that's when he loosened his grip enough for the defendant to stab him. 

The defendant stated that both times she attempted to stab Shamaree, he was choking her. When asked about prior history, the defendant stated that approximately four days earlier similar incident happened when she tried to leave, and Shamaree wasn't letting her. She stated she grabbed knife and told Shamaree she didn't want to hurt him. 

Once she got to the door, she put the knife down and left. She detailed previous history between the two stating Shamaree had previously choked her, but it wasn't this bad. She also witnessed him physically abuse his mother and knew of an incident where Shamaree physically assaulted his little brother, the 13-year-old in the home.

The defendant concluded her statement by saying, if she hadn't done what she did, she would have died.

A review of the D's phones showed clearly volatile relationship between the two where Shamaree told the defendant she had been making him feel aggressive and the defendant berated him for having choked her on previous occasion. 

The two traded insults and it is apparent the relationship was both emotionally and physically abusive.

A review of prior police reports showed several incidents where Ms. Brown reported Shamaree exhibiting violent behavior. 

The reports range in date from July to December 2024 with Ms. Brown detailing Shamaree pushing her, striking her in the eye with gaming

controller, slapping her, throwing chair at his 13-year-old brother striking him in the lip, and throwing Ms. Brown to the ground by her hair and punching her in the face multiple times. The reports also detail Ms. Brown's statements that Shamaree damaged their microwave, television, mirror, gaming console, and kicked the back door.

To prove any charges against the defendant, the State would have to call Ms. Brown to the witness stand. Doing so would open Ms. Brown to cross examination regarding Shamaree's previous assaults and aggressive behavior toward her and his 13-year-old brother. 

The previous assaults documented in police reports corroborate the defendant's statement. Considering, in addition, the domestic violence past between the defendant and Shamaree, including evidence Shamaree previously choked the defendant, the State cannot prove to

jury beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was not acting in self-defense on March 24, 2025. 

Since the State has the burden of proof and cannot meet that burden, the State cannot proceed. 

Oddly enough the state's charges from the December arrest on Jones identify Jones as the primary aggressor and those charges are still pending. 

United States Postal Service - Fail

Since 2020 and the COVID mess Mrs. Cedar has worked remotely from home Never Mind the plus and minus spread sheet of benefits and disappointments. FedEx has our home as a daily stop as does UPS. But the US Mail aka United States Postal Service delivers little more than junk mail most the of the time.

Every once in a while a certain piece of mail that is important shows up in the 6 times a week heads up USPS email showing our incoming mail. 

Inevitably the mail never makes it to our home. It's across the street or two blocks away at the same street number and many days there is no mail at all, never mind the notice that says you have incoming mail aka coming to you soon message. 

But gone are the days of "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" my carrier a Somalian refugee drives like a madman and speaks no English as he races from box to box often doubling back because he missed a house or parcel.

I joke with neighbors that the only English he knows is "look at me I'm the captain now".

Sadly with no mail for 3 days straight last week I decided I better ask via email what happened to my new captain?

The response was well troubling:

We sincerely apologize for the recent disruption in your mail service and appreciate your patience during this time.

Due to the recent holiday, combined with your regular carrier being on vacation, and an ongoing shortage of vehicles and staffing, our delivery operations have been temporarily impacted. As a result, we are currently operating at limited capacity, focusing on the delivery of packages only until full service can be restored.

We understand that this situation is unacceptable, and we deeply regret any inconvenience it has caused. This is not the standard of service we strive to provide, and we are doing everything possible to stabilize operations and resume normal delivery as quickly as possible.

Please know that our team is working diligently to address these challenges and ensure your mail service returns to the reliable level you expect and deserve.

Thank you again for your understanding, and we truly appreciate your continued trust in the United States Postal Service.

Sincerely, 

the United States Postal service

I get it times change.

Gone are the days of generational legacy I have a cousin who was a mail carrier and then postmaster in rural Laurens, South Carolina he was heart broken when his son became a pilot for FedEx.

Gone are the days of uniformed carriers that we knew perhaps not by name but with a certain familiarity just the same as if their names were all "Cliff".

Actor John Ratzenberger as Cliff Clavin - Cheers

Post offices where once the bastion of order and were always spotlessly clean. Today they are somber and decrepit. Gone are the FBI wanted posters and uniformed staff.

Add to the above mail thieves.

Like these two riding a scooter through my neighborhood a few weeks ago at 4:00 AM. They skipped my house but stopped at a neighbor who tends to travel a lot have let mail pile up for days. 

When I report this concern and my suspicion to the local post office I get a reply that they haven't had any recent theft reports and it is probably nothing. 

Seriously how would anyone know since their mail never shows up when expected anyway. 

16 Arrests Since His 18th birthday 10 Dismissals

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders".

In Charlotte however elected officials have apparently never watched an episode of Law and Order as they seem to have no concept of how things are supposed to work. 

Most of us believe that if you break the law there will be consequences.

Except in Charlotte where no one stays in jail, which is the normal in a system that is focused on excuses and victim shaming.

According to Charlotte's "Queen Bee" Mayor Vi Lyles "Charlotte is by and large a safe city".

Sadly nothing could be further from the truth. This thug named Markis Capel has been on a one man crime spree over the last several months and remember these are only the crimes CMPD has be able to connect him to. Obviously for every one crime he's been arrested for the are likely 2 dozen more.

Markis Shawn Capel has racked up 16 arrests since his 17th birthday, 12 within the last year, and each at an ever increasing level of violence. From driving with a Revoked License to Larceny to Assault on a Female and Domestic Violence and now he's graduated to Armed Robbery. and AWDWIKISI aka trying to kill someone.

Today he in in jail under a $250,000 bond on charges of AWDWIKISI, ROBBERY WITH DANGEROUS WEAPON, FELONY CONSPIRACY,  FLEE/ELUDE ARREST W/MV (F) and RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER, PROBATION VIOLATION,UNSAFE LANE CHANGE, FAIL TO WEAR SEAT BELT-DRIVER. A&A DWLR NOT IMPAIRED REV, MISDEMEANOR LARCENY, and INJURY TO PERSONAL PROPERTY.

Why do Mecklenburg judges keep letting these felons out of jail?

Why has Pre Trial Release become a bad joke?

Why is Charlotte's "Queen Bee" Vi Lyles still in office?

Why do taxpayers keep electing our Mecklenburg County DA?

Why won't the governor and the state AG provide the resources to clear a six year felony crimes backlog.

Here is just a sample of Mr. Capel's criminal history which excludes his juvenile efforts.

September 29, 2023 

Case No. 23CR729406-590

SPEEDING - Actual Speed: 44 Speed Limit: 35 School Zone

NO OPERATORS LICENSE

EXPIRED REGISTRATION CARD/TAG

RECKLESS DRVG-WANTON DISREGARD

This traffic citation was called on 3/22/2024 and Capel failed to appear it was called again on 12/17/2024 and dismissed, and then Capel was cited for Failure to comply on 3/17/2025.

Charges Dismissed by Judge Joseph E. Setzer, Jr.

August 28, 2024

 

Flee Elude Arrest

Charges Dismissed

September 27, 2024 

Speeding, Reckless Driving - Wanton Disregard, No Operators License, Expired Registration

Charges Dismissed

October 4, 2024 

Case No. 24CR424848-590

Held by MCSO for 8 hours. Released under the Pre Trial Release Program (aka promise to appear).

LARCENY OF A FIREARM

Charges Dismissed

November 3, 2024 

Case No. 24CR448131-590

Held by MCSO for 48 hours. Released via Pretrial Release Program (aka promise to appear).

Assault on a Female 

Domestic Violence

On November 3rd, 2024 at approximately 10:15 PM Officers were dispatched to both an iPhone crash notification, and domestic violence call for service, outside 598 Barton Creek Drive.

Upon arrival, local resident stated that couple had been fighting, and the female was being chased around the complex. The caller stated that the victim and the suspect drove away in a white four door Kia. 

As additional officers arrived, white four door Kia was located at one of the entrances to the complex. Inside the vehicle was female driver, who was clearly injured, she was spitting blood, and had split lip. There was black male in the back seat of the vehicle. 

Officers separated the parties. The female Nveya Ellis (Nveya) appeared distressed. She initially told officers that she had fallen over, when the defendant Markis Capel (Markis) was chasing her. 

After some time, she admitted that she was assaulted by Markis. Nveya stated that her and Markis were in her vehicle, parked in the Barton Creek Drive area, when Markis grew angry, and threw her iphone out the window. This triggered the crash notification that was the original call for service. 

Markis then began to strangle her with both hands, from the passenger seat. Nveya then got out of the vehicle, running away. Markis followed her and threw her to the ground, causing Nveya to split her lip. Markis denied any assault, only stating that the couple were arguing, and Nveya fell over while they were messing around. 

There were no visible signs of strangulation at this time.

Due to the domestic relationship both parties admitted, and the visible signs of injury, an on-scene arrest was made. Markis was arrested for assault on female, misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Dismissed By Judge Robert A. Brady on March 19, 2025




January 23, 2025

Case No. 25CR002978-590

FLEE/ELDUE AREST W/ MOTOR VEHCILE

Pending

January 23, 2025

Case No. 25CR216680-590

Held by MCSO for 5 days released again via the Pre Trial Release Program (aka promise to appear).

ASSAULT BY STRANGULATION

MISD CRIME OF DOM VIOLENCE

ASSAULT ON A FEMALE

On January 23rd, 2025, at 1650 hours, responded to 2900 Meadowcliff Drive for possible Domestic Violence call for service. Caller advised her big cousin, BARKLEY MALAYSIA KEJUNAE and her child's father, CAPEL MARKIS, were actively arguing while the victim was holding her baby in her hands. 

Caller advised she witnessed the father, CAPEL MARKIS, choke her big cousin, BARKLEY MALAYSIA KEJUNAE. 

Victim and suspect were once in an intimate relationship. They have one child in-common and do not live with each other.

Upon arrival, spoke with the victim. She advised the argument was over the suspect seeing name in her contact list that he was not familiar with and got upset. Suspect aggressively grabbed the phone from her hands and put it in his pockets and try to lock the door in the bathroom. She advised she was actively trying to get the phone from his pockets in the bathroom, but disengaged and left the bathroom to avoid getting hurt. 

She advised she tried to get her phone from him again in the living room and the suspect extended his arms and pushed the victim with force and she fell back against the couch. She advised she tried to defend herself by grabbing his hair, but he wrapped his arms around her upper body and threw her on the other couch. She advised at this point, he was mounted on top of her and placed his two hands around her neck as he attempted to choke her. 

She advised she had shortness of breath and got scared that she was going to lose consciousness. She advised she was still able to breathe and speak. Then, she advised the suspect removed his left hand from her neck, closed his fist and punched her on left eye. Officers on-scene saw swelling above the left eye, which is consistent with someone getting punched in the eye. 

She advised she finally was able to create space and remove herself from being mounted by the suspect. 

The suspect ran outside. Moments later, the suspect tried to re-engage with the victim in attempts to grabbing her phone again from her person outside in the front of the house. The victim advised the suspect once again assaulted her by grabbing her and actively trying to get the phone from her person. The victim was actively defending herself and finally pushed him off of her.

The suspect was charged and arrested with Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence (Victim and suspect were in an intimate relationship in the past and have one kid in-common), Assault on female (Suspect with closed fist punched victim in the left eye) and strangulation (Suspect placed both hands around her neck, squeezing her to the point the victim felt she was short of breath and about to lose consciousness).

Charges Dismissed by Judge Jennifer Fleet

February 5, 2025 

Case No. 25CR227156-590

Held by MCSO for 2 days. (again released via Pre Trial Release (aka promise to appear).

POSSESS STOLEN MOTOR VEHICLE

FLEE/ELUDE ARREST W/MV (M)

FLEE/ELUDE ARREST W/MV (F)

RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER

MISDEMEANOR PROBATION VIOL

On 02/05/2025 Officers were dispatched to license plate reader call for service in reference to stolen motor vehicle call for service. Real Time Crime advised the vehicle hit the tag reader on W. Sugar Creek Rd. 

The vehicle was stolen out of charlotte on 02/03/2025. The vehicle is 2017 Ford Fusion NC registration DKS-1749.

CMPD aviation unit responded and began to follow the vehicle as it traveled onto interstate I-85. The vehicle traveled onto I-85 towards Brookshire Blvd. The vehicle made its way toward Beatties Ford Rd.

Officers in the Metro division attempted to make traffic stop on the stolen vehicle at the intersection of Beatties Ford Rd. and Catherine Simmons Ave. The vehicle fled from officers at high rate of speed. While over head, CMPD aviation unit advised the suspect began driving erratically running red lights and driving on the opposite side of the road.

The vehicle eventually came to stop near the intersection of Tipperary PI. and Benson PI.

Where the driver of the vehicle fled on foot while the Aviation Unit gave out the description of the driver. Officers then gave chase after the defendant giving him lawful commands to stop running from

Police. The defendant continued to run unit he crawled underneath van at 4048 Colebrook Rd. Officers then took the defendant into custody without incident.

All Charges Dismissed except Misdemeanor Flee/Elude Arrest in a plea deal and was given 12 months probation and community service. 

February 10, 2025

Case No. 25CR227167-590 again release via the Pre Trial Release Program (aka promise to appear).

Felony Larceny

On 01/17/2025 at around 1909 hours, (Officer Shanks #6837) completed Felony Larceny report which the listed victim reported on 12/31/2024.

spoke with the listed victim, Christy Johnson stated she knew that November 21st the listed suspect Markis Capel was last inside the home last. 

Christy Johnson stated that the suspect is known because her daughter use to talk to the defendant. Johnson stated that her daughter (Myriah) got into an argument with the suspect in which started the incident. 

Johnson was informed by her daughter that Capel was in possession of Johnson's stolen property. Johnson stated she never knew her items were taken until December 30th and was informed by her daughter. 

Myriah stated she was arguing with Capel, and he stated to her that "I have them hoes, go in your mama's crib and took your stuff". Myriah also stated Capel told her "MF just grabbed all your stuff" and that she should check with her mother about some belongings. Myriah stated Capel then sent her photos of Louis Vuitton "Neverfull" purse. Johnson stated Myriah did not remember the purse is owned by her mother because Johnson has only worn the purse once before and has had it for some time. 

Johnson stated Capel then told Myriah to also see if her mother knows about two pairs of Jordan shoes JJohnson owns. Johnson stated Capel sent message to Capel showing picture of her (black and white concord Jordan grey and white Jordan sneakers). Myriah stated the sneakers were not her mother's shoes because the shoes were worn down and believe that her mother keeps her shoes up to high standard. Myriah stated Capel told her "Then ask your mama where her shit at then, since you know everything".

Johnson stated she then recognized the items based off message through Instagram direct and knew the items were taken.

Dismissed via Harry Church Mecklenburg County DA June 4, 2025

April 21, 2025 

Case No. 25CR017140-590

UNSAFE LANE CHANGE

FAIL TO WEAR SEAT BELT

DWLR NOT IMPAIRED REV

FAILURE TO APPEAR

Pending

April 26, 2025 

Case No. 25CR017140-590 

Driving with a Revoked License

Pending

May 13, 2025 

Case No. 25CV023547-590

Child Support Show Cause Order

Pending

June 11, 2025 

Case No. 25CR008193-590

Held by MCSO for 10 Hours.

UNSAFE LANE CHANGE

FAIL TO WEAR SEAT BELT-DRIVER  

DWLR NOT IMPAIRED REV

Charges Dismissed

July 8, 2025

Case No. 25CR008193-120

Bond Forfeiture

Pending

July 31, 2025 

Case No. 25CR227156-590,25CR351278-590,25CR008193-590

Held by MCSO for 2 days.

PROBATION VIOLATION

MISDEMEANOR LARCENY

INJURY TO PERSONAL PROPERTY

UNSAFE LANE CHANGE

FAIL TO WEAR SEAT BELT-DRIVER  

DWLR NOT IMPAIRED REV

Charges Dismissed

September 10, 2025 

Case No. 25CR409825-590

FELONY CONSPIRACY

AWDWIKISI

ROBBERY WITH DANGEROUS WEAPON

FLEE/ELUDE ARREST W/MV (F)

RESISTING PUBLIC OFFICER

Pending

On September 10, 2025 Judge Kenneth Smith modified Capel's bond to $250,000.00 secured. As of September 13, 2025 he remains behind bars.

Leaders Badly Mishandled Charlotte Killing - John Hood

John Hood

September 10, 2025

Long before the release of a video graphically depicting Iryna Zarutska being stabbed to death on a Charlotte train, state and local leaders should have publicly mourned her death and expressed outrage at so appalling a crime. Now they’re paying the price.

Every homicide is a tragedy. Every innocent victim deserves our sympathy. But within hours of Zarutska’s slaying on August 22, it should have been obvious this case would create more than a one-day story.

For starters, Zarutska was a Ukrainian refugee. She’d fled a country subject to nightly attacks by a terrorist state targeting civilians — only to be stabbed to death on her way home from work, in the very country where she thought she’d be safe.

The man charged with her murder, Decarlos Brown Jr., was well known to local authorities. His long rap sheet included arrests for breaking and entering, burglary, larceny, and other crimes. He’d resisted arrest, blown off court appearances, spent time in prison. His history of mental illness and violence led his mother to have him committed to a psychiatric facility, but he’d been released after two weeks.

Furthermore, this incident was only the latest in a series of crimes committed within the city’s transit system. As WCNC-TV reported during its initial coverage of Zarutska’s slaying, another person had been assaulted earlier in the week on a Charlotte bus. As it happens, Mecklenburg County voters will in November approve or reject a one-cent hike in the local sales tax for transportation, mostly for transit. That is also general-election day for Charlotte’s municipal offices.

So far, I’ve described a war-refugee story, an urban-crime story, a mental-illness story, a transit story, and a local-elections story. All raised important questions that merited serious, sustained attention from our leaders. It wasn’t until two weeks later, however, that Gov. Josh Stein issued a statement — after a horrifying video of the crime was released and, entirely predictably, went viral.

“I am heartbroken for the family of Iryna Zarutska, who lost their loved one to this senseless act of violence, and I am appalled by the footage of her murder,” he said. “We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe.”

“That’s why my budget calls for more funding to hire more well-trained police officers. I call upon the legislature to pass my law enforcement recruitment and retention package to address vacancies in our state and local agencies so they can stop these horrific crimes and hold violent criminals accountable.”

Stein’s rhetorical approach was ill-advised, to say the least. Decarlos Brown has been arrested many times. In almost every case, it seems, the charges were dropped or plea-bargained away. His one stay in prison was insufficient. Attempts to deter him, treat him, or at least keep him far away from potential victims had failed miserably.

These were failures by prosecutors and courts, not the police. To most readers and viewers, then, blaming the incident on a lack of officers — and using it to pressure the legislature for more state funds for a traditionally local responsibility — came across as tone-deaf.

As for Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, her early statement describing the killing as a “tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental health care” earned her widespread condemnation. After the video was released, Lyles chided media outlets for broadcasting it while also decrying the “senseless and tragic loss” of Zarutska and saying she was praying for the victim’s family and friends.

I’m of the belief that leaders ought to offer their “thoughts and prayers” to victims of crime and natural disasters, so that part didn’t bother me. But I also agree with National Review’s Charlie Cooke, who wrote that Lyles’s initial statement made her sound “far more interested in the feelings of criminals than of the people they torment.”

After years of highly publicized, highly politicized homicides, public officials have had ample opportunity to learn how to handle them. This ain’t it.

Four Seconds on a Charlotte Train - Nicole Gelinas

September 10, 2025

The video of Decarlos Brown, Jr., slaughtering 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train on the night of August 22nd is sickening in many ways, but one aspect of the horror was how mundanely it unfolded. All of us who have had to contend with greater chaos and danger on mass-transit systems since 2020 have created useful fictions for ourselves: that wouldn’t happen to me, because I know not to sit near the crazy guy. I know to sit around other people. I know how to defend myself—punch someone, bite someone, scream. The video demolishes that fiction. We’ve also had to contend with a related fiction: that our transit systems remain safe. It’s time we stopped accepting random murders on our transit systems as normal. 

Zarutska, a refugee who arrived from Ukraine in 2022, gets on the train after her shift at a local pizza joint, just before 10 p.m. A slender woman, probably less than 100 pounds, she’s dressed in the khaki pants, black t-shirt, and black baseball cap of her employer, her blond hair tucked away in the hat. A few other people, at least four, are seated in her area of the train car; she knows, if she is calculating her public safety, that she is not alone. She finds a seat in the middle of the car, right in front of another passenger. She has no reason to avoid this young black man, Brown, 34, dressed in a hoodie, who, as she sits down, appears to be struggling to stay awake (he has been muttering and making jerky movements in the moments before she gets on the train). For more than four minutes after Zarutska takes her seat in front of Brown, he remains quiet. Even if she had looked behind her, or saw the man in her window’s reflection, she has no reason to fear him; he might appear fidgety, but lots of people fidget on the train. Zarutska scrolls through her phone, at one point nearly dropping it. She takes her glasses off at another point and tucks them into her shirt. Nothing out of the ordinary is going on here. Other passengers get on and off. The automated announcement tells people to “please stand clear” at a stop.

Then Brown stands up, grabs Zarutska by the neck, and repeatedly slits her throat. The entire action takes less than four seconds. Zarutska looks up at Brown in seeming confusion as he walks away from her. She cowers into a fetal position on the seat, looking down as the blood spatters out of her onto the floor. She falls onto the floor in front of the seat, and you think, mercifully, that she is unconscious. But she’s not: her slender hand reaches up as she tries to grab her phone, most likely to try to ask for help. She appears conscious or semi-conscious for nearly a full minute as she bleeds out. Moments later, several passengers gather around Zarutska on the floor to try to help her, and to use their own phones to call police. 

Zarutska had no chance of fighting back, and that would have been true if she were a man as well. What you also learn from watching this video is that you cannot depend on supposed safety in numbers to help you in an attack. The attack may happen too quickly for anyone to stop it, and the people around you may themselves be too confused, scared, or unsure of what to do to act instantly, even if doing so can save you.

Brown faces state and federal charges. But the goal is to stop crimes from happening before we have to punish murderers. 

Could Zarutska’s slaughter have been prevented? Brown should not have been on the train. He has spent most of his adult life under arrest or in prison, including for violent crimes. He also has a schizophrenia diagnosis, and has behaved so alarmingly, including assaulting his sister, that his own mother had him involuntarily committed, and then, when he was released, ejected from the family home. During a check on his health this past January, Brown called the police on the police. In that case, instead of acting on the obvious danger of a person with a propensity toward violence suffering from delusions, a Charlotte judge released him on his own recognizance. Brown belonged in a mental facility. 

Charlotte’s initial reaction to this horror was to hope nobody would notice. Instead of pledging a full review of where her city, county, or state failed, Charlotte mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, released an anodyne statement on the “tragic situation” and referring vaguely to “systems that should be in place.” She thanked media outlets for not running the gruesome video—as if it, and not the killing, were the problem. It wasn’t until the footage had chilled viewers around the nation that Lyles called the “murder” a “tragic failure by the courts and magistrates,” and said that we need a “bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness.”

Much of the national press, though, prefers to spin Zarutska’s killing as a Republican plot to own the Democrats on crime. Axios, whose mission is to make its Beltway and business readers “smarter, faster,” had the smarmiest version: “Stabbing video fuels MAGA’S crime message,” it headlined its story. Axios then tried to pair “feelings” with a “reality check”: “Democrats have accurately pointed out that violent crime rates have been decreasing since pre-pandemic highs,” it informed its readers.

“Smarter” people will want to know the full story. The latest figures, through the end of 2024, show that the surge in national transit crime that began in 2020—mostly stranger-on-stranger unprovoked violence—hasn’t abated. From 2008 through 2019, an average of five people lost their lives to murder annually on American heavy-rail systems. Since 2020, the annual average has consistently been 15; last year’s 19 heavy-rail killings were the highest in at least 19 years. Between 2008 and 2019, the number of heavy-rail assaults nationwide averaged 315 annually; between 2020 and 2024, it averaged 728 annually. Across all U.S. transit systems, including light rail and bus, the annual pre-2020 average number of killings was 14; since 2020, it has been 40. The average annual number of assaults was once 836; now it is 1,687.

These numbers obscure the fact that the rise in transit murders can’t be separated from a harder-to-measure increase in transit disorder. Many disturbed individuals board a train or bus screaming and yelling at other passengers but, thankfully, don’t murder anyone. They do make people feel less safe, though.

The real answer to the question of whether transit violence is “low” is to see the video of a mute Iryna Zarutska watching herself start to bleed out. It is obviously not low enough. If we can prevent this horror—and we know that we can because we used to—shouldn’t we? If, as much media coverage seems to suggest, only Republicans care about transit violence, then some Democrats who watch the video will become Republicans.

Justice Department Charges Light Rail Attacker with Federal Crime

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte today, charging Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, with a federal crime in connection with the fatal attack of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail system. Brown is charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”

“The brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Light Rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again. I want to thank Attorney General Bondi for her pursuit of today’s federal charges, which are the first step toward delivering justice for Iryna and her family – as well as the millions of Americans who deserve to live in our great American cities free from being targeted by violent criminals."

According to allegations in the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint:

On August 22, 2025, at approximately 9:55 p.m., officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to a call for service related to an assault that occurred on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte. Callers indicated that a woman had been stabbed by a male. Responding officers located the victim inside the rail car. The victim, subsequently identified as Iryna Zarutska, had sustained fatal stab wounds. A pocketknife and other items were collected from the scene.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed the victim entering the light rail car and sitting down in the row in front of Brown. Approximately four minutes later, Brown pulled a knife from his pocket and unfolded it before striking the victim three times from behind. Following the attack, Brown walked away from the victim. Responding officers located Brown on the light rail platform and he was arrested.

“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most—Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family. But crimes like this also affect everyone who relies on mass transportation to get to and from work and go about their daily lives, and federal charges are necessary to protect the public and ensure confidence in our transportation systems.”

If convicted, Brown faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison or death. Ultimately, his sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Odulio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

The charges against Brown are allegations and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Updated September 9, 2025