President Donald Trump invited Anna Zarutska, the mother of a Ukrainian refugee killed on a train in Charlotte last summer, to be one of his guests at the State of the Union on Tuesday.
“We are honored to be joined tonight by a woman who has been through hell,” Trump said. “Anna Zarutska.”
Cameras panned to where Zarutska sat. She didn’t speak but stood up and dabbed her eyes as the audience clapped. She sat next to Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist who founded Turning Point USA and was assassinated just weeks after Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light-rail train.
Typically, guests of the president are used to punctuate points in the speech. During the second half of a nearly two-hour speech, Trump explained Iryna Zarutska’s death in detail from the House dais.
“Last summer, 23-year-old Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster, who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through a no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body,” Trump said.
On Aug. 22, Zarutska boarded a train at the Scaleybark station and moments later was fatally stabbed. Police accused 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, a Charlotte native, in Zarutska’s death.
At the time, Brown was out of jail without bail for a charge of misuse of the 911 system.
Brown has a history of mental health issues, including a schizophrenia diagnosis, but his mother told The Charlotte Observer that despite seeking treatment for her son, she was repeatedly turned away.
“No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face,” Trump said, “as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life.”
Trump noted that Zarutska had escaped the war in Ukraine only to be killed in Charlotte.
“And by the way, what’s going on in Charlotte?” he asked.
Anna Zarutska, the mother of Iryna Zarutska, is recognized as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Iryna Zarutska was killed on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina in August 2025. Kenny Holston-Pool Getty Images
Tuesday marked the fourth year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has repeatedly asked Trump for help against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump has gone back and forth in his approach to the two leaders.
On Tuesday, his allegiance was to Anna Zarutska.
“I promise you, we will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter,” he said.
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Jessica Koscielniak/Pool TNS
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 12:10 AM.
Danielle Battaglia is the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and elections. She also covers the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.
President Donald Trump invited Anna Zarutska, the mother of a Ukrainian refugee killed on a train in Charlotte last summer, to be one of his guests at the State of the Union on Tuesday.
“We are honored to be joined tonight by a woman who has been through hell,” Trump said. “Anna Zarutska.”
Cameras panned to where Zarutska sat. She didn’t speak but stood up and dabbed her eyes as the audience clapped. She sat next to Erika Kirk, the widow of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing activist who founded Turning Point USA and was assassinated just weeks after Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light-rail train.
Typically, guests of the president are used to punctuate points in the speech. During the second half of a nearly two-hour speech, Trump explained Iryna Zarutska’s death in detail from the House dais.
“Last summer, 23-year-old Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster, who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through a no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body,” Trump said.
On Aug. 22, Zarutska boarded a train at the Scaleybark station and moments later was fatally stabbed. Police accused 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, a Charlotte native, in Zarutska’s death.
At the time, Brown was out of jail without bail for a charge of misuse of the 911 system.
Brown has a history of mental health issues, including a schizophrenia diagnosis, but his mother told The Charlotte Observer that despite seeking treatment for her son, she was repeatedly turned away.
“No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face,” Trump said, “as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life.”
Trump noted that Zarutska had escaped the war in Ukraine only to be killed in Charlotte.
“And by the way, what’s going on in Charlotte?” he asked.
Anna Zarutska, the mother of Iryna Zarutska, is recognized as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at the Capitol on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. Iryna Zarutska was killed on a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina in August 2025. Kenny Holston-Pool Getty Images
Tuesday marked the fourth year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion against Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has repeatedly asked Trump for help against Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Trump has gone back and forth in his approach to the two leaders.
On Tuesday, his allegiance was to Anna Zarutska.
“I promise you, we will ensure justice for your magnificent daughter,” he said.
President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Jessica Koscielniak/Pool TNS
This story was originally published February 25, 2026 at 12:10 AM.
Danielle Battaglia is the D.C. correspondent for The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer, leading coverage of North Carolina’s congressional delegation and elections. She also covers the White House. Her career has spanned three North Carolina newsrooms where she has covered crime, courts and local, state and national politics. She has won two McClatchy President’s awards and numerous national and state awards for her work.
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
The 9th Street Station stop along the LYNX Blue Line in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, December 8, 2025.
KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH
Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
The head of the Federal Transit Administration is coming to Charlotte after the city’s transit system spent much of 2025 in the spotlight for a pair of violent incidents.
Asked if Molinaro’s January trip is related to the FTA’s investigation, Cagle told media after the MPTA meeting that while it’s “routine for the FDA administrator to show interest in transit systems … clearly, I think there is a focus on security, which is a direct result of the incidents that we have had.”
“The FTA administrator has stated publicly that security of passengers in all transit systems is a priority for him,” Cagle said.
Molinaro’s visit will include a ride on the Blue Line and a roundtable with local officials and business leaders, according to Cagle.
“The intent of that roundtable is to bring the FTA administrator together with CATS and other city staff … as well as local business people so that the FTA administrator can understand our priorities around security (and) safety,” Cagle said.
The FTA will determine what portions of the visit, if any, are open to the public, Cagle said.
Molinaro’s visit isn’t the first time federal and state officials have looked into safety in Charlotte since the first light rail stabbing.
The state House Oversight Committee announced this week it would hold a hearing Jan. 29 on safety in Charlotte, the city’s public transit system and DEI initiatives. Cagle is among those asked to testify, alongside Mayor Vi Lyles, County Manager Mike Bryant, City Manager Marcus Jones, Sheriff Garry McFadden, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather and Police Chief Estella Patterson.
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
The Charlotte Area Transit System has faced stiff criticism following the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line in August.
A Sept. 30 “special report” from the state auditor’s office accused the city of recently allowing security staffing gaps that left people using the transit system vulnerable at the time Zarutska was killed. It suggests that a focus on meeting diversity goals when selecting contractors resulted in a less-desirable security contract — one with fewer armed officers — than the previous CATS security agreement, which ended in 2023.
Public records, however, show that that security staffing shortages prompted Charlotte officials’ decision to end at least one transit security contract in 2023. It’s also clear that city leaders have been told about the need to address security officer vacancies for at least five years.
Evidence that city officials received multiple warnings about staffing shortages include:
2020: A former CATS security provider,Allied Universal, asked CATS officials to raise contractor wages to address shortages as early as 2020, a company executive told the Charlotte City Council in 2023.
2022: Allied Universal submitted a 13-page report to officials in November 2022 outlining security staffing challenges and the need to raise pay, company executive Charlie Bohnenberger said in 2023.
2023: Allied Universal temporarily stopped placing security personnel on city buses due to staffing shortages, interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said in May 2023after a shootout between a passenger and driver.
The Charlotte Area Transit System declined to make interim CEO Cagle available for an interview and did not directly address how it responded to Allied’s concerns.
CATS, established in 2000 as a division of the City of Charlotte, is one of the largest transit systems in the Southeast. It operates a fleet of 173 fixed-route buses at peak demand and seven-day-a-week light rail service, with tracks covering nearly 20 miles.
Iryna Zarutska boards a Charlotte Lynx Blue Line car at around 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 22 in this screenshot of footage released to media outlets. Zarutska was fatally stabbed on her way home from work. Charlotte Area Transit System
As occurred after Zarutska was stabbed on a Blue Line car while on her way home from work, debates over security staffing have flared previously after violence on city buses and light rail.
Multiple bus drivers have been shot over the past several years — one fatally. Pedestrians and drivers have shot at CATS buses and one person was hospitalized after a stabbing on the Gold Line. In at least one case, a bus driver shot a passenger. Violence against CATS operators reached a four-year high in 2021, The Charlotte Observer reported in 2023.
Charlotte officials increased spending on CATS security from $5.9 million in 2022 to $18.4 million in 2025. The next year a contract with Professional Police Services, CATS’ current security provider, increased the total number of security positions to 219, from as few as 108 previously, according to the auditor’s report.
Yet the number of armed officers declined from as many as 88 in a 2018 contract to 39 in the current contract, the state auditor’s report emphasizes.
And what was on paper didn’t always match what occurred on CATS buses or light rail cars.
Michael Bermudez drove from Spartanburg, S.C. to attend a Sept. 22 memorial service for Iryna Zarutska. The young woman’s death prompted questions about the adequacy of Charlotte Area Transit System security. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Professional Police Services — also known as Professional Security Services — had only 186 of 219 contracted positions filled 12 days after Zarutska was killed, with the city reporting more security on the job since then.
CATS security contracts show the company took on additional security responsibilities in 2024. In December, CATS leadership transitioned armed security services to PPS after ending its relationship with another contractor, Strategic Security Corporation. PPS was already handling unarmed security for CATS.
A PPS executive declined to comment for this story. His company was eight months into the process of staffing the additional services at the time of Zarutska’s death.
Persistent problems with security staffing
Long before the current shortfall, a former CATS security contractor had trouble filling its security positions. Cagle has said that CATS ended its contract with Allied, the previous security provider, in 2023 due to staffing shortages.
In the company’s defense, Allied had “repeatedly engaged CATS leadership” about staffing concerns since 2020, company executive Charlie Bohnenberger told the Charlotte City Council in April 2023.
Mayor Vi Lyles speaks during a press conference to announce new security enhancements being implemented throughout CATS on Oct. 3. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
“In November we provided a 13-page report, providing in great detail wage analysis from multiple independent sources showing CATS that in order to address the police staffing shortages, we need to do wage adjustments,” Bohnenberger said.
Allied officials did not respond to multiple requests for an interview. The Charlotte Observer on Oct. 1 requested a copy of the 2022 report and other public documents from city officials but has not received them.
When asked why the security staffing shortfalls have persisted, longtime Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs said multiple problems with CATS came to light around 2022, when Allied said their report was submitted.
“Security wasn’t the only thing that wasn’t working as well as it should have,” said Driggs, a member of the city council since 2013 who now chairs its Transportation, Planning and Development Committee.
The decision to triple investment in CATS security since then was city leaders’ attempt to address gaps, Driggs said. Officials often have to make difficult decisions about where to allocate funds with so many competing priorities, Driggs said. And while the goal is zero crime, it may not be realistic.
“We do have a responsibility as council to run a lean organization — we cannot be kind of extravagant in terms of spending 10 times as much money in order to achieve a 20% reduction in incidents on the trains,” Driggs said.
Low wages have long plagued the private security sector, according to a 2025 analysis of federal data by the Center for American Progress. Turnover rates are more than 50% annually across the industry, the report found.
Today, unarmed transit security officers make $30.96 per hour, according to CATS’ contract with Professional Police Services. Armed security guards make $42 per hour and company police officers make $46.97 per hour. Sergeants and captains are paid at higher rates.
Stepped up protective efforts
CATS officials did not respond to questions about previous struggles with security staffing. But they shared public documents listing recent security improvements.
Tatyana Thulien sings Amazing Grace during a memorial service for Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukranian refugee. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
They include the addition of off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers to supplement security contractors. PA announcements that started on Sept. 18 reminding passengers that fare is required. And ramped-up, random “fare blitzes” at Blue Line stations that began around the same time and are intended to make sure more passengers are paying for their rides.
Transit security officers are now using bikes and utility terrain vehicles for patrols along the Blue Line, Charlotte officials announced during the Oct. 3 news conference. That increases accessibility to hard-to-reach platforms, like those in Uptown and South End, Cagle said.
“PSS has around 200 officers currently employed and has deployed officers to fully staff the Blue Line,” CATS spokesperson Brett Baldeck said in an emailed statement. “Recruitment efforts are ongoing to bring additional staffing up to the 219 outlined in the security contract. We continue the addition of off-duty CMPD officers to supplement the work of our already established security personnel. “
Looking ahead
CATS plans within the next year to determine the optimal number of security officers, police officers and fare enforcement officers to cover rail and bus operations, according to CATS September 2025 security and safety plan.
The transit system will then “work toward budgeting and/or obtaining funding to supply the resources identified,” the report states.
Some Charlotte leaders say continued investment in the system will be critical. That includes passage of a 1% transportation sales tax referendum that voters will weigh in on in November.
It would earmark $20 billion for the region’s transportation system over the next 30 years, allowing for the expansion of light rail and more.
Those dollars would allow CATS to become a transit agency with its own sworn police force, according to the security plan.
A police chief for the department would be tasked with conducting a planning study to determine “the most effective structure and size” of the transit police department, according to CATS’ September 2025 security and safety plan. Deployment of the force could take 18 to 24 months.
“We have an ongoing effort that we had before Iryna to staff up and to improve security and to consider all the possibilities, and that will continue,” Driggs said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have information about CATS security or an experience related to safety on the system’s buses or light rail system that you want to share? If yes, contact Charlotte Observer reporter Amber Gaudet at agaudet@charlotteobserver.com.
A woman charged in connection with a brutal, five-year-old Charlotte homicide can remain free despite repeated violations of her court-ordered electronic ankle monitoring, a Mecklenburg County judge ruled Friday.
America Diehl was indicted on charges of accessory after the fact of first-degree murder and concealment of a body in the 2020 killing of .Mary Collins.
Collins, a 20-year-old with a cognitive disability, died after prosecutors said she was lured to an apartment and stabbed 133 times.
A calendar with “April 2020” written at the top remains on a wall of the bedroom of Mary Collins. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Kelly Lavery, one of four defendants charged in the case, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. But more than five years after the attack, the others haven’t been tried. They include Diehl, who has been allowed to stay with her mother and grandmother in their Clover, South Carolina, home, court records show.
Although Diehl has cooperated with investigators, she should be returned to jail on a $500,000 bond for repeatedly failing to charge her electric ankle monitor over the years, including as recently as Oct. 9, prosecutor Bill Bunting told the judge Friday. She’s been free on $150,000 bond, court records show.
Diehl’s lawyer, Lambert Guinn, said Diehl has complied with other orders of her bond, including a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. She had no previous criminal history and poses no flight risk, he said.
“She was 18 years old when this happened and was forced into a terrible situation,” Guinn said. “She goes to work. She has stayed out of trouble as much as possible. Her willingness to help, to participate (in the cases against the other defendants) has not changed.”
The judge also agreed with Guinn regarding the unreliability of electronic ankle monitoring and ruled that Diehl no longer has to wear one.
None of which excuses Diehl’s allegedly having “stuffed Mary in a mattress,” Bunting told the judge.
Diehl “could have prevented Mary’s death” by calling 911 the night of the attack, Collins’ mother, Kasei Canfora, told the judge. For days, she failed to notify police as to where Collins’ body was hidden, Canfora said.
“But I have no control over the justice (system),” Canfora told the judge.
Collins’ family members reacted with anguish in the courtoom after the ruling.
“Get ready for hell,” one said loudly to Diehl as the family exited the courtroom.
‘Justice I did not get,’ mom of homicide victim says
Collins’ grandmother, Mia Alderman, said outside the courtroom later that she was “dumbfounded” by the ruling.
“I cannot believe this,” she said. “I’m literally in shock.”
Outside the courthouse after Friday’s hearing, Canfora reiterated her disappointment in the ruling.
“The mother, the person who carried her for nine months and gave birth to her, gets no say at all, other than to express my heartfelt pain and plead with the judge to give me some kind of justice, which I did not get at all,” Canfora said.
“And it’s not just me,” she said. “It happens over and over again, and it’s unacceptable.”
A calendar with “April 2020” written at the top in Mary Collins’ room where she lived with her grandmother, Mia Alderman, in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
This story was originally published October 10, 2025 at 7:02 PM.
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
The articles about the Charlotte stabbing of Iryna Zarutska share common themes of public safety, personal tragedy, and the influence of media. They collectively explore the event’s impact on Zarutska’s family, the role of public figures, and the ongoing challenges for public transportation safety in Charlotte.
In one article, we learn about Iryna Zarutska’s journey to the United States to escape the war in Ukraine, seeking a new life. Her family was left grieving and faced with unexpected expenses due to her sudden death. Another article details the release of a disturbing video that turned the local tragedy into a national conversation, drawing political reactions and prompting debate about crime and punishment. The story also touches on issues within the Charlotte transit system, such as the light rail’s open fare system, and calls for improved security measures. Challenges with fare evasion are highlighted, showing how they may impact passenger safety. Finally, the accused attacker, DeCarlos Brown Jr., has a history that includes some arrests and mental health concerns, which complicates the case further.
A GoFundMe page for Iryna Zarutska’s family said the 23-year-old recently arrived from Ukraine to escape war when she was fatally stabbed at a South End light rail station near Camden Road Friday night.
NO. 1: UKRAINIAN WOMAN KILLED AT SOUTH END LIGHT RAIL STATION MOVED TO US TO ESCAPE WAR
A 23-year-old Ukrainian woman fatally stabbed at a South End light station Friday night had recently moved to the U.S. | Published August 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Jeff A. Chamer
Family members say Iryna Zarutska, 23, recently immigrated to the U.S. to escape war in her native Ukraine before she was fatally stabbed on board a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
NO. 2: PREVIOUS NC CHARGES AND MENTAL HEALTH RECORD OF DECARLOS BROWN: WHAT RECORDS SHOW
Decarlos Brown, the man accused of killing a young Ukrainian woman in a violent Charlotte train stabbing caught on camera, has for the last 10 years been in and out of North Carolina’s courts and jails. | Published September 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Coin
President Donald Trumpin a White House video Sept. 9, 2025, where he blamed policies in Democratic-run cities like Charlotte for contributing to the death of Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on the light rail. By White House Brieffing
NO. 3: HOW CHARLOTTE’S LIGHT RAIL KILLING BECAME A NATIONAL STORY OVERNIGHT
The release of video footage of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska’s death on the Lynx Blue Line last week instantly propelled the narrative from a local story to a national conservative media firestorm with Charlotte at the center. | Published September 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Briah Lumpkins
A sign reading “We failed you, Iryna. Rest in peace” hangs above a memorial for Ukranian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed by Decarlos Brown Jr. on Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line train on August 22, 2025.
NO. 4: AFTER CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING, FORMER LEADERS REFLECT ON LIGHT RAIL DESIGN CHOICE
NO. 5: IF YOU’RE GOING TO REMEMBER IRYNA ZARUTSKA, HER FAMILY HOPES IT’S MORE LIKE THIS
Time, in its excruciatingly slow and painful way, had just barely begun to heal Iryna Zarutska’s family. | Published September 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Theoden Janes
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
In its preliminary report, State Auditor Dave Boliek’s staff said CATS armed security staff shrunk in recent years despite increased spending on security. The auditor’s office also questioned the transit authority’s use of diversity rules in its hiring process for its private security firm.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles pushed back on the report’s findings in a response letter included in the report. She stood by the city’s contracting practices and security firm.
Tuesday’s report notes the auditor’s office “will release a final report after conducting a full review.”
NC auditor’s preliminary CATS report
The preliminary report says CATS’ number of armed security personnel fell from between 68 and 88 in 2018 to 39 this year. The agency’s security spending increased from $5.9 million in 2022 to $18.4 million in 2025, the report states.
The report also questioned Charlotte’s efforts to increase contractor diversity during the CATS security firm selection. Republicans at the state and federal level have taken aim at diversity and inclusion practices related to hiring in recent months.
The audit says the city’s request for proposals from security firms in 2022 “was ‘targeted only’ to businesses that were registered and certified” with its inclusion program, which aims to get more women- and minority-owned businesses involved in city contracting.
That contract ultimately went to Professional Security Services out of eight applicants, the audit said.
“The safety of the citizens of Charlotte needs to be first and foremost when security decisions are being made. Our report shows there has been a clear shift away from armed security in the CATS’s private security contracts,” Boliek said in a statement on the preliminary report. “Further, limiting any part of a contract providing citizens with security to only firms that meet a DEI checkbox raises questions as to whether politics has taken priority over public safety. As we continue our investigation, we will be examining the decisions that went into designing, soliciting, and approving these security contracts.”
Charlotte responds to CATS audit
In a response letter included in Tuesday’s report, Lyles stood by the hiring of PSS, saying the firm “was chosen following a competitive process” and noting that President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign contracted with the company for event security.
“The report appears to suggest that PSS is not qualified but fails to offer specific evidence to support this conclusion,” she wrote, adding “PSS has met contract requirements and continues to provide satisfactory services.”
The mayor said the city adhered to its policies for awarding contracts and that CATS has increased security personnel overall, with unarmed security personnel “assisted, as needed, by armed security.” She also said the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department increased the prescence of police along the Blue Line.
In her letter, Lyles also questioned the auditor’s office timeline for its report.
She said the city met an initial deadline to answer questions and was then given less than 24 hours to respond to follow-up questions. Lyles said the auditor’s office sent a copy of the report to the city Friday afternoon and said it planned to release the report Monday. Boliek’s staff then sent an updated report Monday afternoon and said it would be released publicly Tuesday, Lyles said.
Lyles wrote she “would respectfully request” the auditor’s office “provide reasonable deadlines for city responses and clarify the process moving forward.”
CATS said in an additional statement it “is working to meet the needs of our community,” citing increased overall security staffing, CMPD presence and fare enforcement.
Lyles, City Manager Marcus Jones and interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle previously announced a news conference about CATS security would happen Wednesday. After the auditor’s report was releasede, the news conference was moved to Friday.
Other investigations into CATS after stabbing
In addition to the state auditor’s investigation, multiple other agencies are looking into CATS following the light rail stabbing.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Transit Administration would examine CATS’ safety plans, security spending and any risks to operators and customers. He also said the FTA could withhold federal money from Charlotte depending on its findings.
FBI Director Kash Patel also said on social media after security footage of the stabbing went viral the agency had “been investigating the Charlotte train murder from day one.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 5:49 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
Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican whose district borders Charlotte, reaches for a poster sized image of Iryna Zarutska being stabbed during The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight hearing in Charlotte on Monday.
KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH
knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
A Congressional hearing in Charlotte on Monday further stoked debate over how to address crime and public safety in the wake of a high-profile stabbing on the city’s light rail.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee and others from the Carolinas congressional delegation gathered at the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building in uptown for a field hearing weeks after the death of Iryna Zarutska.
On Monday, the committee heard from family members of other victims of violent crime, a local police officer injured in the line of duty and law enforcement experts. While no witnesses were directly connected to the stabbing, the committee focused on several of the most prominent points of debate related to the case.
The predominantly Republican group criticized Democrats for “soft-on-crime” policies. Local Democrats and a group of protestors outside the event called the exercise political.
New Jersey Republican Jeff Van Drew, who chairs the Oversight Subcommittee, noted the group has held similar hearings in Philadelphia and New York City.
“The story is the same. The faces may be different, the accents may be different, the city may look different. But the same story — we’re mourning for innocent lives that have been lost,” he said.
NC’s Adams interrupts SC’s Norman over Zarutska stabbing image
Although no one from Zarutska’s family or directly connected to her case were among the witnesses at Monday’s hearing, her story featured prominently throughout the discussion.
South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, whose district borders Charlotte, held up an image of Zarutska on the train taken moments before her death from the security footage of the incident.
“It’s sick,” the Republican said.
Democratic Rep. Alma Adams, whose district includes much of Charlotte, briefly interrupted Norman’s comments, saying he was going against Zarutska’s family’s wishes by showing the image.
Her family said in a statement Sept. 9 calling for “accountability and systemic change” they were “urging the public and media to respect Iryna’s dignity and their grief by not reposting or circulating the footage of her killing.”
The suspect in Zarutska’s death, DeCarlos Brown, Jr., also came up throughout the hearing. Brown, who has a criminal record, is charged with first-degree murder and a federal transit charge in the case.
Multiple representatives criticized a local magistrate for releasing Brown on a written promise to appear earlier this year when he was charged with misusing 911, a misdemeanor. They said Brown’s history of prior criminal charges and mental health issues should’ve led him to remain incarcerated.
“You don’t need a degree to know that it’s absurd. You don’t need to be an attorney or a judge to know that it’s wrong. You don’t have to have a high-ranking title to know that it doesn’t make sense,” Van Drew said.
A Charlotte Observer review of North Carolina law and Mecklenburg County’s bail policy found releasing someone on a non-violent misdemeanor is routine.
Congressional committee hears from victims’ families, experts
Witness Mia Alderman speaks during a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Charlotte on crime and public safety. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Monday’s hearing also featured testimony from the families of other victims of violent crime.
Mia Alderman told the group her family’s been waiting more than 5 years for the suspects in her granddaughter’s death to go to trial. Mary Collins, a 20-year-old with a cognitive disability, died in 2020 after prosecutors said she was lured to an apartment and stabbed 133 times, the Observer reported previously. Two men and two women were arrested in the case.
“Five years is not justice. Five years is torment,” Alderman said Monday.
Steve Federico also addressed the committee Monday. His daughter, Logan Federico, a 22-year-old from Waxhaw, died in Columbia in May when she was fatally shot while visiting friends, South Carolina law enforcement said previously.
Witness Steve Federico speaks during a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Charlotte on crime and public safety. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Steve Federico said the suspect in the case, Alexander Dickey, had been arrested 39 times.
“39 crimes in 10 years. 25 felonies. Can anybody in here explain to me how possibly he could be on the street?” Federico asked.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Justin Campbell, injured in last year’s fatal police shooting on Galway Drive in Charlotte, spoke Monday, too. Campbell testified that officers are frustrated by quick releases of people they arrest.
“The judicial system here in Mecklenburg County, I can speak first hand, is trash. I’ll say it again over and over again. I’ll take the repercussions, what comes next after me saying that,” Campbell said.
Dena J. King, formerly the federal attorney for North Carolina’s western district, speaks during a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
But some on the committee questioned the accuracy of the numbers Asher reported. Others said the numbers are no comfort to the families of crime victims.
“Statistics don’t always tell the story,” Van Drew said.
NC Democrats, protesters call hearing political
Rep. Alma Adams, a Democrat whose district covers Charlotte, listens during a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Adams and Rep. Deborah Ross represented North Carolina’s Democratic congressional delegation at Monday’s hearing.
Adams called for an end to “senseless” violence and said “perpetrators of violent crimes must be held accountable.” But Adams also said she was “a little disappointed my colleagues here are politicizing the pain under the guise of seeking justice.”
“I think there’s an eye on this open seat,” Adams said, referring to the U.S. Senate seat on the ballot in North Carolina next year.
Some Republicans at the hearing criticized Adams’ comments.
Progressive and religious groups, including Indivisible Charlotte and the Poor People’s Campaign, organized the protest. Demonstrators held up signs to passing traffic with slogans such as “EXECUTE JUSTICE NOT PEOPLE” and “NO TROOPS IN CHARLOTTE.”
Potential policy impacts of Charlotte hearing
Rep. Addison McDowell, a North Carolina Republican, speaks during a U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Charlotte. To McDowell’s right is another N.C. Republican representative, Pat Harrigan. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Monday’s hearing included discussion of the potential policy implications of Zarutska’s death.
North Carolina Republican Rep. David Rouzer, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, said his group will look at fare enforcement procedures in Charlotte and other cities while drafting upcoming transportation legislation.
The Charlotte Area Transit System said previously Brown did not buy a ticket to board the light rail the night of the stabbing and said it would step up fare enforcement on trains.
“Fares are not enforced, and that is a widespread problem. Not just here in Charlotte but all across the nation,” Rouzer said. “And so we’re going to be looking very intently at ways to incentivize enforcement of fare requirements so that we don’t have another tragedy like this.”
Rep. Mark Harris, a Republican from North Carolina, said he plans to introduce legislation related to federal crime funding in Congress soon.
Some also endorsed Iryna’s Law, legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. The bill would, among other things, enact stricter bail rules for a broad new category of “violent offenses” and expand when mental health evaluations are conducted, The News & Observer reported.
Gov. Josh Stein had not signed the bill as of Monday afternoon.
Voters will decide whether to approve a 1% sales tax increase to fund billions in road, rail and bus projects.
Van Drew said the referendum came up when speaking with local leaders ahead of the field hearing.
“They seem to have a really positive outlook. They want to make it better, they want to make it even safer,” he said.
Asked if safety concerns should sway voters, Charlotte-area Rep. Tim Moore said “a key part” of the plan “is going to be funding additional law enforcement.”
Observer reporter Ryan Oehrli contributed to this story.
This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 5:21 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
Mia Alderman points to a cross backlit with sunlight on a portrait painted of her granddaughter, Mary Collins, in Charlotte on Sept. 24. Collins was fatally stabbed in 2020. Her grandmother, Alderman, has been on a yearslong campaign to seek justice for her.
KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH
Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Mary Collins loved art, makeup and photography, wigs, hats and shoes.
She played the guitar, sang and “loved gothic stuff,” part of her “quirky,” endearing personality, grandmother Mia Alderman recalled.
“She liked to make people laugh, and would mess with you,” Alderman told The Charlotte Observer in the split-level Charlotte home where she raised her granddaughter. “She was very kind and always wanted people to be happy.”
Collins, a 20-year-old with a cognitive disability, died in 2020 after prosecutors said she was lured to an apartment and stabbed 133 times. Two men and two women were arrested.
Mary Collins Courtesy of Mia Alderman
One of the accused, Kelly Lavery, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. But more than five years after the attack, the others haven’t been tried. They include America Diehl, who’s allowed to stay with her mother and grandmother in their Clover, South Carolina, home, court records show.
Mia Alderman stands in the bedroom of her granddaughter Mary Collins in Charlotte on Wednesday, September 24, 2025. Collins was fatally stabbed in 2020. Alderman has left the room as it was the day Collins was killed in a NoDa apartment. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Another round of court hearings is scheduled for the end of the year: Dec. 11 and Dec. 31 for suspect James Salerno and Dec. 31 for suspect Lavi Pham, court records show.
“Do you know what a hell this is for us?” Alderman said about waiting for the suspects to be tried in Mecklenburg County Criminal Superior Court. “I want justice for Mary. She matters, and we have to wait years and years. I don’t want to sue. I want change.”
Mary Collins lived in this bedroom in the Charlotte home of her grandmother Mia Alderman. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
The fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail system on Aug. 22 prompted Alderman to call attention to her granddaughter’s case, as she did when Salerno was given bond in 2023.
Mary Collins Courtesy of Mia Alderman
“Our family sees heartbreaking parallels between Mary’s case and Iryna Zarutska’s,” Alderman said, including their closeness in age and that both were brutally stabbed.
“We believe now is the moment to bring overdue attention to Mary’s case, as the city reckons with systemic justice issues that continue to cost young women their lives,” Alderman said in a recent media statement.
A calendar with “April 2020” written at the top remains on a wall of the bedroom of Mary Collins in Charlotte. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Collins and Zarutska “were both Charlotte’s daughters,” she told the Observer on Sept. 24. “And Charlotte’s daughters should be safe in their community, our community.”
About her granddaughter’s killing, she said: “What they did to her was so heinous, they should have faced the harshest penalties” and never been given bonds.
“Bled her out in a bathtub”
Collins was found dead, hidden in a mattress in a NoDa apartment on April 4, 2020, according to previous reporting by The Charlotte Observer.
She was lured to the apartment by Lavery and Pham, who planned in text messages to kill her for refusing a threesome with them, prosecutors said in court in June 2022. Lavery was 24 and Pham 23.
Salerno, then 22, is accused of helping conceal her death.
Collins had 22q deletion syndrome, also known as DiGeorge Syndrome — the second-most common genetic disorder behind Down syndrome, according to the International 22q11.3 Foundation. Collins had the cognitive abilities of a 15-year-old, her family said.
Collins believed the suspects were her friends, Alderman said.
“They tricked her under the guise of friendship,” she said. “She was barely 100, 110 pounds. They killed her for entertainment because they are depraved, and they tortured her.”
Collins was last seen in south Charlotte on March 28, 2020, when she got into an Uber paid for by Lavery and went to the apartment with Lavery and Pham, prosecutors said in court.
Alderman became concerned when Collins stopped answering texts, the Observer reported. Two days later, she went to the Yards apartment complex in NoDa to pick her granddaughter up.
After hours of searching the complex and the apartment, she called 911.
Collins was endangered because of her disability, Alderman said she told police. Police told her to fill out a missing persons report, she said.
Five days later, police found her granddaughter’s body wrapped in plastic and stuffed in a mattress, Alderman said. The next day, police charged Lavery, Pham and Salerno with murder and kidnapping, public records show. Pham and Salerno also were charged with concealing a death.
“They bled her out in a bathtub, into Charlotte’s water system,” Alderman said Wednesday.
Diehl, 18 at the time, was later charged with accessory after the fact and concealing a death, according to court documents.
Pham has been in the Mecklenburg County jail since his arrest, jail records show.
Pham and Salerno refused the same plea deal as Lavery’s, Alderman said. She has attended the nine or 10 bond and other court hearings involving the suspects over the years, she said, always urging judges to keep the suspects behind bars.
Diehl was released on bond in 2021, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office website. She was given a curfew and ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor.
The company monitoring the device filed two violation notices in court in February after Diehl kept her ankle monitor off,, according to an Observer review of the notices.
An assistant district attorney newly assigned to her granddaughter’s case is considering asking a judge to return Diehl to jail because of the violations, Alderman said.
Alderman said she’ll raise the issue of Diehl’s bond when she testifies Monday at the Victims of Violent Crime hearing, scheduled by the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight at the federal courthouse in Charlotte. The hearing was scheduled because of the light rail stabbing.
She’ll tell the committee how Salerno was out on bond, about Lavery’s plea deal and how police treated her 911 call.
“I’ll never stop advocating for Mary,” she said.
A painting of Mary Collins is displayed in the Charlotte home of her grandmother Mia Alderman. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Keeping “Mary’s Voice” alive
Alderman staked two “Mary’s Voice” signs in her front yard.
Reminders of her granddaughter are everywhere in the home: her guitar; photos of Mary; her bedroom left untouched since she went missing, her clothes laid out on the bed and black, gothic artwork across a wall.
A six-foot-by-six foot mural of Mary stands on wheels in the great room. Alderman has wheeled the mural to the courthouse to raise awareness about her granddaughter and the justice Alderman seeks.
Sun shines through a window of the great room onto a cross depicted in a tiny corner of the mural, as if transforming the cross into a piece of stained glass.
“The first time I saw it, I was stunned,” Alderman said. “Light always found Mary. There were so many photographs taken by or of Mary where light found her. It gives me some semblance of peace where there is no peace.”
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
“Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade apologized Sunday for remarks he made last week that suggested using involuntary lethal injections to get mentally ill homeless people off the streets.
Kilmeade’s comments came during a discussion last Wednesday on “Fox & Friends” about the Aug. 22 stabbing death of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, on a light rail train in Charlotte, N.C.
Zarutska’s suspected killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., is a homeless man with a long criminal record and is a paranoid schizophrenic, according to his family.
The attack on Zarutska was captured on security cameras and circulated widely online. The incident has sparked a national debate on public safety policy and criminal sentencing.
The topic led “Fox & Friends” co-host Laurence Jones to say that billions of dollars have been spent on programs to care for the homeless and mentally ill but many of those afflicted resist help.
“A lot of them don’t want to take the programs,” Jones said. “A lot of them don’t want to get the help that is necessary. You can’t give them the choice. Either you take the resources that we’re going to give you, or you decide that you’ve got to be locked up in jail.”
Kilmeade added: “Or involuntary lethal injection or something — just kill ‘em.”
A clip of Kilmeade’s remarks started to circulate widely on X on Saturday.
“I apologize for that extremely callous remark,” Kilmeade said during Sunday’s edition of the morning program. “I am obviously aware that not all mentally ill, homeless people act as the perpetrator did in North Carolina and that so many homeless people deserve our empathy and compassion.”
Many online commentators pointed out that Kilmeade’s comments evoked the extermination of mentally ill and disabled people that was authorized by Adolf Hitler in 1939. The German chancellor’s euthanasia program killed more than 250,000 people ahead of the Holocaust.
For now, Kilmeade has avoided the fate of political analyst Matthew Dowd, who lost his contributor role at MSNBC after commenting on the Wednesday shooting death of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.
Dowd told MSNBC anchor Katy Tur that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Dowd, once a political strategist for President George W. Bush, described Kirk as a divisive figure “who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups.”
The angry reaction on social media was immediate after Dowd’s comments suggested that Kirk’s history of incendiary remarks led to the shooting.
Rebecca Kutler, president of MSNBC, issued an apology and cut ties with Dowd.
Dowd also apologized in a post on BlueSky. “I in no way intended to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack,” he said.
The top executives at MSNBC parent Comcast sent a company-wide memo Friday citing Dowd’s firing and told employees “we need to do better.”
U.S. Rep. Tim Moore, a Republican from North Carolina’s 14th District that includes parts of Charlotte, speaks on the U.S. House floor about the murder of Iryna Zarutska on the city’s light rail. (Screengrab of C-SPAN video)
North Carolina’s 10 U.S. House Republicans are calling for the immediate removal of the magistrate who released a repeat offender charged with murdering a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte light rail.
The attack occurred Aug. 22 but has drawn national and international attention this week with newly released surveillance footage.
Prior to the unprovoked attack, DeCarlos Brown Jr. was free on a written promise to appear in court for a misdemeanor charge.
Multiple media outlets report Brown faced 14 prior charges, many misdemeanors, dating back over a decade. Federal officials could seek the death penalty in the most recent case. The 34-year-old Brown will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
“By releasing a repeat violent offender on nothing more than his written promise to appear, Magistrate [Teresa] Stokes displayed a willful failure to perform the duties of her office and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice,” wrote the congressional representatives in a Sept. 9 letter.
“North Carolina’s justice system failed Iryna Zarutska,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Moore of North Carolina’s 14th District which includes parts of Charlotte and its suburbs, such as Gastonia. “Judge Stokes had the chance to protect the public and chose not to. It’s clear that she’s unfit to hold this consequential position and should be removed from the bench immediately.”
The letter is addressed to Chief District Court Judge Roy Wiggins, who has the authority to initiate removal proceedings.
In addition to Moore, the letter is signed by Reps. Gregory F. Murphy, M.D. (NC-3), Virginia Foxx (NC-5), Addison P. McDowell (NC-6), David Rouzer (NC-7), Mark Harris (NC-8), Richard Hudson (NC-9), Pat Harrigan (NC-10), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), and Brad Knott (NC-13).
Moore has also co-sponsored legislation seeking to end cashless bail.
State Auditor Dave Boliek waded into the matter Tuesday announcing that the Office of the State Auditor will formally investigate the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS).
“The recent lawlessness and violence that have taken place on Charlotte’s public transportation raise serious questions about the security measures in place. We will investigate CATS and examine its public safety contracts and operations,” said Boliek.
The auditor’s office has notified Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Metropolitan Transit Commission leadership, and CATS leadership that the investigation will begin immediately.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles (File photo)
President Donald Trump keyed in on the murder on social media Tuesday saying that the policies of Democrat-run cities have left criminals to pray on innocent people.
“We have to respond with force and strength. We have to be vicious just like they are. It’s the only thing they understand,” pledged Trump.
Figures show that homicides are down in many large cities since spiking in 2020 amid the pandemic.
Lyles, a Democrat, has called the attack on Zarutska “horrific and senseless.”
In response, the Charlotte mayor has pledged stronger policing across the transit system and increased fare enforcement.
Lyles is seeking a fifth term in office. On Tuesday night, she won a crowded Democratic primary with more than 70% of the ballots cast in the mayoral race. She did not address the media after her decisive win.
Lyles will face Republican Terrie Donovan and Libertarian Rob Yates in November.
Crime prevention and public safety will be top issues for the candidates.
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