A mural in memory of Iryna Zarutska was painted at the Taoh Outdoor Gallery in Charlotte following her killing in 2025.
KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH
Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
A state House committee hearing slated to feature prominent Charlotte leaders has been postponed again amid legal questions about a high-profile killing.
The House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform announced Tuesday its hearing on safety in Charlotte, the city’s public transit system and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives will now be held at 9 a.m. Feb. 9.
The hearing was originally scheduled for Jan. 22 then pushed to this Thursday. It’s now been delayed until early February as the committee looks to the courts for guidance on how much it can discuss publicly about the suspect in the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, on the Blue Line light rail.
“Today, the Chairs of the House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform will file a motion seeking clarification of a federal court order issued earlier this month that limits state lawmakers from publicly disclosing information related to Decarlos Brown …” the office of House Speaker Destin Hall said in a statement. “Clear court guidance is necessary so committee members can thoroughly question Charlotte officials in light of recent tragedies.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Mecklenburg County Manager Mike Bryant, Charlotte Area Transit System interim CEO Brent Cagle, City Manager Marcus Jones, Sheriff Garry McFadden, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson were all invited to appear before the committee.
The hearing comes after months of national debate over safety in Charlotte following Zarutska’s death. Republicans cast blame on Charlotte’s largely Democratic local leadership, saying their approach to public safety contributed to the killing. The GOP-controlled General Assembly swiftly passed “Iryna’s Law” after the August incident, a sweeping criminal justice reform bill. Another person was stabbed on the light rail in December but survived.
Despite concerns about public safety, CMPD statistics show crime, including homicides, fell citywide in 2025.
McFadden has also clashed with some leaders in Raleigh over his position on local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration officials.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 2:22 PM.
Mary Ramsey is the local government accountability reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she studied journalism at the University of South Carolina and has also worked in Phoenix, Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky. Support my work with a digital subscription
Faced with new allegations in a court petition that alleges his behavior is so abusive he should be removed from office, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden told the press on Tuesday that the claims are ‘lies’ and said he welcomed a State Bureau of Investigation review.
“The petition is nothing but a smear campaign designed just before the election,” McFadden said at the Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center prior to a forum on juvenile detention. “It is filled with lies and we welcome the investigation and we respect the investigation that will be occurring.”
But beyond that, McFadden said he’d have no further comment, and he slowly backed away as reporters asked further questions.
State Rep. Carla Cunningham, former Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Kevin Canty and three other former Sheriff’s Office employees filed a petition to remove McFadden from office in Mecklenburg County Superior Court on Monday.
District Attorney Spencer Merriweather on Monday also asked the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate the petitioners’ claims, including looking into whether McFadden committed any crime. The SBI confirmed its professional standards unit would look into them.
Cunningham accused McFadden of threatening her in a phone call, while other allegations in the court petition allege that he retaliated against employees, utilized county employees to illegally work on his campaign website, and made deputies on duty drive officials to bars and strip clubs.
Canty, a former special agent in charge of the SBI’s Charlotte region office, resigned from the Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office in November 2024 and issued a letter then alleging that McFadden abused his powers.
Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.
In a video statement on Sept. 17, 2025, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said he has been betrayed by former staffers who came out and criticized him to reporters.
McFadden, a Democrat who has been sheriff since 2018, faces the prospect of being removed from office after more than a year of public controversies.
In a superior court petition filed Monday, four former sheriff’s office employees and a state lawmaker laid out a long series of allegations. Among their claims: McFadden had deputies drive people to bars and strip clubs, ordered other sheriff’s office staff to work on his campaign website and threatened state Rep. Carla Cunningham in a phone call.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt; you live in my county,” the petition alleges the sheriff told Cunningham when trying to convince her to vote a certain way on an immigration- and law enforcement-related bill.
Merriweather, also a Democrat, said in a news release that he learned of the petition on Sunday evening.
“District Attorneys have only rarely granted the approval of such a petition, with the understanding that election of a community’s official is a binding choice of the public, which should only be superseded under the most grave circumstances,” he said in that release.
State law requires that a district attorney or county attorney approve a removal petition before it can move forward.
In his letter to the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, Merriweather noted that McFadden is not just accused of misconduct, but crimes in some instances.
McFadden did not respond to phone calls and messages seeking comment on Monday. Spokesperson Sarah Mastouri said he was aware of the petition, but had no comment.
“The request has been assigned to the SBI’s Professional Standards unit for investigation,” SBI spokesperson Chad Flowers confirmed in an email. “The SBI will not comment further on the status of the investigation.”
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 4:48 PM.
Ryan Oehrli writes about criminal justice for The Charlotte Observer. His reporting has delved into police misconduct, jail and prison deaths, the state’s pardon system and more. He was also part of a team of Pulitzer finalists who covered Hurricane Helene. A North Carolina native, he grew up in Beaufort County.
