Iryna’s heartbroken family have spoken out about their loss(INSTAGRAM/lucaveros225)

Iryna Zarutska, 25, was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, after leaving Ukraine in hopes of finding safety overseas

The relatives of a Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on a train in a vicious assault have spoken out, slamming officials for “lapses in security protocols”.

Iryna Zarutska had escaped Ukraine, leaving her loved ones behind after Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to invade on February 24, 2022. Seeking safety abroad, she began a fresh start in Charlotte, North Carolina

On August 22, Iryna climbed aboard the South End light rail train in Charlotte, traveling across town as she had done numerous times previously. However, moments after taking her seat on a crowded train, a homeless man with an extensive criminal record unleashed a savage knife assault on the young woman, slashing her throat with a pocketknife. The news comes as a Wisconsin boy ‘snuck up behind gran and killed her with 5-minute chokehold’ in their home.

Speaking publicly, her relatives said that her death was “the most horrific way” to lose a life. “We are heartbroken beyond words,” the family said in a statement from an attorney representing the family.

Iryna Zarutska had fled Ukraine leaving her family behind in hopes of finding safety overseas (Image: AP)

“Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way. No family should have to go through this.”, reports the Mirror.

The family is also demanding a comprehensive investigation into “lapses in security protocols and failures within the public transportation system,” citing an absence of visible or effective security presence on the Lynx Blue Line, and pointing to oversight failures in the contract between the Charlotte Area Transit System and Professional Security Services (PSS) as well as a lack of adequate safety measures they say could have prevented the deadly attack, People reports.

“This could have been anyone riding the light rail that night,” the family said. “We are committed to making sure this never happens again.”

Shocking video footage of the brutal attack spread online following the incident. But Iryna’s family have urged the public and media to “respect Iryna’s dignity and [their] grief by not reposting or circulating it.”

Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder(Image: WBTV)

They said Zarutska had been working tirelessly to establish a new life in Charlotte, holding down a full-time job at a local pizzeria and studying English at a community college. On August 22 she texted her partner to say she would be home soon and when she failed to return, loved ones saw her phone’s location at a train station.

Upon arriving at the station they were informed she had been pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. Police identified the attacker as homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr, 35, who has an extensive criminal record, including an arrest for assaulting his sister.

Brown was captured on camera leaving a blood trail throughout the train, with fellow passengers seemingly oblivious to the murder that had just occurred, before he tore off his shirt. He was swiftly apprehended and initially faced first-degree murder charges, which were later upgraded to a federal charge of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

A judge denied his bond and he remains behind bars. If convicted of the federal crime, Brown could potentially face the death penalty, even though North Carolina hasn’t executed anyone in nearly ten years.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is pushing for the harshest possible sentence, stated: “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. 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.”