Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles is receiving significant criticism following her response to the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on public transit.
The mayor’s comments have drawn backlash for emphasizing mental health concerns rather than public safety measures.
The victim, Iryna Zarutska, was killed in late August while riding a light rail train in Charlotte.
The young woman had recently arrived in the United States seeking refuge from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The suspect in the case has been identified as 29-year-old Decarlos Brown, who authorities say had no previous connection to Zarutska.
Brown allegedly carried out the attack without provocation or apparent motive.
In her initial public statement regarding the murder, Mayor Lyles focused on the suspect’s apparent mental health struggles.
She suggested that traditional law enforcement approaches would not address underlying issues.
“We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health,” Lyles stated, according to WCNC.
The mayor drew comparisons between mental health conditions and physical ailments in her remarks.
“Mental health disease is just that — a disease like any other that needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer or heart disease,” Lyles