Republicans argue that a deadly stabbing in North Carolina that gained national attention is a perfect illustration of why the Trump administration’s tough-on-crime agenda is necessary. But Sen. Thom Tillis doesn’t want Charlotte to be next on the list for a federalized crackdown.
“We do have challenges, but there are far more major metropolitan areas that we could focus our attention before you go to Charlotte,” Tillis, the outgoing Republican senator, told reporters Tuesday in response to a question from NOTUS. “I hope that people don’t amplify this into something.”
“I haven’t seen any evidence that they’re going to focus on Charlotte,” Tillis said about the Trump administration. “If they do, it’ll be a problem for me.”
On Aug. 22, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train in an apparently random attack. A suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., was quickly arrested by police and charged with first-degree murder, and his criminal record has drawn much attention from Republicans.
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On Tuesday, the Department of Justice also announced it was charging Brown with a count of “committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system,” which the DOJ said could result in life in prison or the death penalty for Brown if he is convicted.
In recent days, after transit officials released camera footage, Zarutska’s death has gained traction on the right as conservatives including Elon Musk and Charlie Kirk have posted about the incident.
Sen. Ted Budd told NOTUS on Tuesday that former Democratic governor and current Senate candidate Roy Cooper’s and current Gov. Josh Stein’s “soft on crime” policies are to blame. As for the Trump administration getting involved, Budd said he’ll be happy with “whatever it takes” to make the city safer.
President Donald Trump and the White House have not pointed to Charlotte specifically as a target for increased federal law enforcement presence as he takes steps to expand his administration’s reach into major cities like Washington and Chicago. But the stabbing of Zarutska clearly captured the attention of the Trump administration.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller blamed what he called “protection of the criminal” by Democrats for the attack in a post on X. FBI Director Kash Patel said this week that the FBI has been investigating the case. And Trump posted on Truth Social about it, arguing that Zarutska’s “blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail” and using it as an opportunity to encourage North Carolinians to cast their ballots for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley next year.
In a briefing at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed those arguments.
“This monster should have been locked up, and Iryna should still be alive,” Leavitt said. “But Democrat politicians, liberal judges and weak prosecutors would rather virtue signal than lock up criminals and protect their communities.”
Charlotte last year recorded one of the highest levels of homicides in the city’s history, sparking a citywide conversation about public safety. According to the city’s statistics, as of July, violent crime is down 25% from last year. It ranks about 12th among 30 major American cities for its overall violent crime rate, according to a Newsweek analysis of FBI data.
Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday that the city’s transit system would beef up its security and police presence and that the incident was a “tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.”
“We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets,” Lyles said, saying she was ready to work with local, state, and federal legislators to find one.
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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and The Assembly.
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