Political discussions about the death of a 23-year-old on the city’s light rail reached Charlotte Wednesday when state and local leaders held news conferences on the case.

Republican officials and candidates gathered at the Parkwood Avenue light rail station to say Democratic policies contributed to the killing of Iryna Zarutska. Police arrested DeCarlos Brown Jr. on a first-degree murder charge for allegedly stabbing the Ukrainian refugee multiple times Aug. 22 on the LYNX Blue Line.

Shortly before the GOP event, Democratic City Council member Malcolm Graham held his own news conference at the uptown Charlotte Transit Center. He called for “less guns and more cops.”

The case became increasingly politicized after video and photos of the incident went viral on social media.

The FBI, state auditor and federal Department of Transportation are investigating in addition to local law enforcement, with DOT threatening to withhold funding for Charlotte’s transit system. President Donald Trump called Wednesday for the death penalty in the case.

State, local Republicans: Light rail stabbing was ‘preventable’

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons said in Charlotte Wednesday crime is a “national epidemic” that’s “gripping every one of our major cities across North Carolina.”

Simmons said Zarutska’s killing was “indicative of what happens in Charlotte when you allow crime to run rampant, when you allow crime to go unchecked, when you allow law and order to be set aside for appeasement to those criminals that perpetuate these crimes.”

Simmons said Charlotte is “plagued with crime rates that continue to climb year over year” — something he attributed to local Democrats’ “policies of appeasement.”

Charlotte reported 110 homicides in 2024, up 24% from the 89 homicides reported in 2023. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police’s crime map lists 39 homicides so far in 2025. The department said in its mid-year crime report overall crime was down 8% year-over-year in the city, including a 29% drop in homicides.

Asked what specific city or county policies are contributing to crime, Simmons referenced state laws on cashless bail.

Some speakers at the GOP event said the light rail stabbing could have been prevented if Brown was in jail for past charges.

“This is what happens when you have weak, incompetent and feckless leadership,” 12th Congressional District GOP Chairman Addul Ali said.

Multiple Republican candidates for local office said the stabbing should spark voters in the largely Democratic city to oust incumbents in this year’s election. The GOP currently holds two seats on the 11-member City Council.

“The citizens of Charlotte are asking where the action has been? Some of our council members have been on council for over ten years, and they are failing our citizens and they are failing our city,” said Krista Bokhari, who secured her party’s nomination in south Charlotte’s council District 6 Tuesday in her quest to succeed her husband in the seat.

Current Republican Council member Ed Driggs said the anger over Zarutska’s killing is bipartisan and highlighted ongoing efforts by the Charlotte Area Transit System and the city to improve safety on public transit. Driggs said “the public needs to be protected” from people with criminal histories and mental health issues that make them a danger to others.

“You cannot have quality of life in a city where you’re not safe,” he said.

Charlotte Democrats call for ‘less guns and more cops,’ filling ‘gaps’ in system

At his own news conference Wednesday, Graham called for “less guns and more cops” to address safety concerns.

“Public safety is our city’s top priority, and too many citizens in our community don’t feel safe,” he said. “If you don’t feel safe, then you’re not.”

He called for more CMPD officers patrolling trains, buses, stations and platforms as well as targeted enforcement in crime hot spots. Graham also proposed the building of a 300-bed residential facility for unhoused residents with mental health and addiction services, better lighting and cameras in parking garages and public spaces to deter crime and expanded violence prevention programs.

Graham also urged more collaboration with Mecklenburg County and the region’s major health care providers to expand access to mental health and addiction treatments. He called on the state to strengthen the district attorney’s office by adding prosecutors, holding more court sessions and investing in technology.

“Charlotte is a growing, vibrant city,” he said. “We can restore public confidence and create a city where safety is not an aspiration, but a reality.”

Asked about the light rail stabbing at a public meeting Wednesday, Democratic Mecklenburg County Commission Chairman Mark Jerrell told the Observer “safety is our number one job in these roles.”

“When there’s failures in the system, we have to address it,” he said.

Jerrell said county commissioners are largely focused on the areas county government has direct influence over, including mental health care, the county sheriff’s office and the court system.

“Our role is to make sure that we close all those gaps,” he said.

Do Charlotte leaders want National Guard deployment?

Officials from both sides answered questions at their Wednesday events about the possibility of the National Guard being deployed to Charlotte in response to the light rail stabbing.

Trump sent the National Guard out in Washington, D.C. — and has floated doing so in other cities including Chicago, Baltimore and New Orleans — over the concerns of some state and local leaders in those areas.

“I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger — and it is in danger in these cities — I can do it,” Trump said previously.

Asked if troops should be sent to Charlotte, Simmons instead spoke about Washington, D.C.

“Other cities across our wonderful country should take a look at Washington, D.C., and how we can also take hold of our cities once again, and make sure that crime no longer has a gripping control,” he said.

Graham dismissed the idea of a National Guard deployment.

“I can’t control what happens and what’s coming out of D.C. I can’t control what’s coming out of Raleigh. I can control, as one council member, the actions that we can take … ensuring that our neighborhoods are safe,” he said.

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