After criticized and obliterated by negative comments on social media for not doing anything, North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein broke his silence over the murder of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train.
"I am heartbroken for the family of Iryna Zarutska, who lost their loved one to this senseless act of violence, and I am appalled by the footage of her murder. We need more cops on the beat to keep people safe," Stein posted on X last 8 September morning after a weekend of criticism for not posting about last month's murder and a request for comment from Fox News Digital earlier.
"That’s why my budget calls for more funding to hire more well-trained police officers. I call upon the legislature to pass my law enforcement recruitment and retention package to address vacancies in our state and local agencies so they can stop these horrific crimes and hold violent criminals accountable," he continued.
Social media exploded over the weekend after surveillance footage, released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), showed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska boarding a Lynx Blue line last month before a man pulled out a knife and began stabbing Zarutska three times, including at least once in the neck.
Zarutska, who had fled war-town Ukraine, grabs her neck as blood spilled onto the floor. Authorities later pronounced her dead at the scene.
The attack, which took place on August 22, prompted many on social media to criticize Stein for speaking out about George Floyd, a Black man killed by a White police officer, but not being as vocal for this murder, where a White woman was murdered by a Black assailant.
".@NC_Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, has had nothing to say about the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska, a resident of his state," journalist Megan Basham posted on X. "Yet, in 2020, when he was attorney general, he DID find time to lament the death of George Floyd and initiate a "Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice."
"This task force's recommendations included increasing ‘pre-trial release’--which is exactly the kind of thing that allowed Zarutska's killer, DeCarlos Brown, to be on the streets after 14 previous arrests."
"Not a word about Iryna Zarutska from Democrat North Carolina Governor Josh Stein," conservative influencer account LibsofTiktok posted on X.
"Iryna Zarutska’s slaying is the #1 new story on X - not just North Carolina - and yet NC Governor Josh Stein has had NOTHING to say about it," Article III Project senior counsel Will Chamberlain posted on X. "This is why friends don’t let friends vote Democrat."
"The lack of response by Democrat politicians in North Carolina is outrageous," John Lott, founder and president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, posted on X. "This murderer had a long violent criminal record. Gov @JoshStein_ says nothing."
The suspect, identified as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, was arrested shortly after the stabbing and hospitalized before being arrested on a charge of first-degree murder. Records obtained by The New York Post showed that Brown has a history of arrests going back more than a decade, including charges of felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats. Police said Brown and Zarutska did not know each other and the attack had been random.