Charlotte riders reported a near-absence of added security on Lynx Blue Line platforms a day after Mayor Vi Lyles pledged an "immediate" redeployment of transit officers and private guards following the Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.
Witnesses and riders said Tuesday morning there was no visible increase in police or transit security at stations, including East/West Boulevard where Zarutska boarded the train before she was fatally stabbed, and at other stops along the Blue Line. A single Charlotte-Mecklenburg police car was parked outside one station but riders said officers were not positioned where they could quickly respond to an incident on a train or platform.
Police have identified the suspect as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. He was arrested in connection with the stabbing and has a lengthy arrest history, which critics cited as part of their condemnation of court decisions that allowed him to remain free on cashless bail after a recent arrest, according to law enforcement accounts released after the killing.
The killing drew renewed attention after video of the attack was released publicly, officials and news reports said. The footage and surrounding coverage pushed the case into national headlines just as Charlotte voters went to the polls for Tuesday’s mayoral primary, in which four-term incumbent Vi Lyles was seeking a fifth term.
Lyles initially faced criticism for comments that some interpreted as sympathetic to the suspect. On Monday night she reversed course and pledged that Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) security and police would be "re-deployed for a stronger presence" on Blue Line platforms "effective immediately." Sources and commuters who were at stations Tuesday said they saw little evidence of that redeployment during morning commutes.
"If you're going to be a person of your word, do it right there and then," said Antwan Whiting, 37, a mover and security guard who said he was waiting for a train at East/West Boulevard. "I think she's a crock of s–t. She just wants to stay in office to look good," he added.
A security guard who rode the Blue Line on his usual route told reporters he had not been informed of any new assignments or an increased security presence. Observers counted three private guards walking a platform at Bland Avenue Station and two at 7th Street Station, who checked emergency boxes before leaving. At other stops riders said there were no guards or visible police.
Retired paratrooper Jerome Almon, 60, said he believed the mayor bore responsibility for the incident because of what he described as a failure of leadership. "The mayor should step down or be fired," Almon said at the Charlotte Transportation Center Station. Other commuters expressed fear about being on platforms at night and questioned why transit safety relies in part on private security rather than city police.
Sue Withee, 60, said she saw no security on her commute and questioned why the city outsourced protection to a private firm.
Mayor Lyles did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday as she continued last-minute campaigning ahead of the primary. Two Democratic challengers, Jaraun "Gemini" Boyd and Delter Kenny Guin III, criticized Lyles for her earlier remarks and pledged tougher responses to repeat offenders and people with histories of violent arrests if elected.
"This killer had a clear history as a career criminal that should have been a red flag to any judge," Guin said in a written statement, calling the murder "senseless and preventable." Boyd said the mayor's comments reflected "a failure of leadership to address the realities of mental illness in our community."
The case has generated broader political reaction beyond local races. The video and reporting prompted national commentary and scrutiny of judicial decisions, bail policies and transit security. Activists and some elected officials have said they will press for changes to court and policing practices; others urged patience as investigators pursue the case.
Charlotte police and CATS officials have said the investigation into Zarutska’s slaying is ongoing. Authorities have not announced changes to transit schedules or specific new enforcement deployments beyond the mayor's pledge. Local leaders and candidates have said transit safety and mental-health policy will be topics in the coming days as the city contends with public concern about repeat offenders and platform security.