A graphic video of a man stabbing a woman to death on a light-rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina, went viral over the weekend.
The video shows a young woman wearing a baseball cap sitting down in front of a young man in a red hoodie. Moments later, the man rises and without provocation plunges a knife into the woman, killing her.
The victim, Iryna Zarutska, was 23 and from Ukraine and is reported to have had no connected with the alleged killer, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, who now faces first-degree murder charges.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles called the deadly attack a “a senseless and tragic loss,” and thanked those who “have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family.” Still, various edits of the video earned millions of views on social media over the weekend and led to leading voices on the political Right to call greater attention to the crime rates in U.S. cities.
“Charlotte’s Mayor doesn’t want the media to show you the ugly truth. Why? Because she and other public officials in her city bear responsibility,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X.
White House deputy chief