ONE YEAR LATER, IRYNA ZARUTSKA’S FAMILY IS STILL FIGHTING: “HER DEATH SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN”

One year after 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was brutally killed aboard a Charlotte light-rail train, her family is taking a new fight to court.

This time, they are not only seeking accountability from the man accused of killing her.

They are asking a much bigger question:

Could Iryna’s death have been prevented?

Iryna, a Ukrainian woman who had fled the war and come to the United States seeking safety, was riding Charlotte’s LYNX Blue Line on August 22, 2025.

Surveillance footage later showed her sitting quietly inside the train.

Moments later, she was attacked from behind.

She never made it home.

A FAMILY SAYS THE SYSTEM FAILED HER

Now, one year later, Iryna’s family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the City of Charlotte and Professional Security Services, alleging serious failures in the transit-security system.

According to the lawsuit, security staffing was significantly below funded levels at the time of the attack.

The complaint alleges that only 183 of 219 funded security positions were filled — including just 11 of 39 possible armed-security positions.

The family also alleges that no security officer was inside the train car when Iryna was attacked.

Those claims have not been proven in court, and the city and security contractor will have an opportunity to respond.

But for Iryna’s family, the questions remain impossible to ignore.

Was enough done to protect passengers?

Could someone have intervened?

And could a young woman who came to America looking for safety still be alive today?

HER NAME BECAME A SYMBOL

Iryna’s death sparked a nationwide debate over public transportation safety, violent crime, mental health and the criminal-justice system.

Her name later became associated with legislation in North Carolina known as “Iryna’s Law,” which included changes involving bail policies for certain violent offenders.

But legislation cannot bring Iryna back.

And a lawsuit cannot erase the grief of the family she left behind.

What her loved ones say they want now is accountability — and changes they believe could prevent another passenger from suffering the same fate.

ONE YEAR LATER, THE QUESTIONS ARE STILL HERE

The criminal case against Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of killing Iryna, remains complicated by competency proceedings.

Separately, her family’s civil lawsuit will now examine whether Charlotte’s transit-security system had weaknesses that contributed to the tragedy.

The answers may take months or years.

But for those who loved Iryna, one thing remains painfully clear:

She was 23.

She had survived war.

She had come to America hoping for a safer life.

And one year later, her family is still asking why she was not safe on the journey home.

Iryna’s story is no longer only about the final moments of her life.

It is now about whether those moments could have been prevented — and whether her death can force a system to change.