The 911 audio from the brutal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was released on Wednesday, capturing bystanders begging for help.
In August, video footage of the attack on a Charlotte light rail train circulated online, with officials later arresting DeCarlos Brown Jr. in connection with the murder. In recordings obtained by multiple outlets, one bystander was heard pleading with a 911 operator for assistance.
“We’re on a train. This man just f*cking stabbed this woman for no reason,” the witness said.
The 911 operator could be heard saying that a doctor was on standby, asking the witness if he had said the male suspect had “stabbed someone for no reason,” and asking whether medical services were needed.
“Yeah, it’s on a train. Yes, she’s f*cking bleeding,” the witness responded, appearing in distress.
As the operator asked for the location of the attack, another witness was heard describing Zarutska as being on the ground “with a lot of blood” near her.
“I don’t know. We didn’t see it. There’s this lady right now on the ground with a lot of blood. And everybody’s screaming that she got stabbed. I don’t know if anybody’s called 911 yet. People are just freaking out,” a second witness said.
“She’s on the train. She’s on the ground right now,” the second witness added. “There’s people around her right now. I think they’re holding pressure on this wound site. There’s a lot of blood.”
An operator asked if the witness had seen the suspect stab Zarutska. The second witness stated they hadn’t, before adding that they believed Zarutska had “no pulse.”
“No, I did not. We were on a different train car down the road. This is the very last train car. I think the person who stabbed her is gone,” the second witness said.
“She was stabbed in the carotid, I believe. It looks like she has, but we’re not 100% confident that she’s gone,” the second witness said. “I’m not close enough. There’s a lot of people around her. They’re all saying that she’s gone. The pupils are blown out, and there’s no pulse.”
A third witness said the fire department had arrived at the scene, but police officers were still not there. The witness went on to describe the suspect as a black male with dreadlocks who remained visible on the platform.
“I think she’s dead, man,” a third witness said. “I think the girl might be dead, man. The fire person’s got here, but there’s no police person. And the guy that did it is standing over here on the ramp.”
“He’s on the platform. He’s a black male. He has dreadlocks. He’s got his hand wrapped up in a red jacket, a black t-shirt, because his fingers are hanging off his hands. He’s got dreadlocks. He’s got on blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and his hand is wrapped up. He’s got long dreads, and he’s walking back and forth on the platform.”
The operator then asked the third witness if the suspect was wearing an “orange hoodie,” to which the witness replied, “No.”
“No, He’s got a black t-shirt on. The hoodie’s wrapped around his hand,” the third witness responded. “He’s on the opposite platform.”
The video footage of Brown’s alleged latest attack showed Zarutska arriving on the bus and sitting in front of Brown, who was already on board. Eventually, Brown could be seen pulling out a pocketknife before stabbing the 23-year-old three times, including at least once in the throat, according to police.
Brown was then seen walking through the railcar after the attack, as blood dripped from his weapon. Zarutska was pronounced dead on the train.
Prior to the recent stabbing, Brown served five years in prison for an armed robbery charge. After being released from prison, Brown’s mother said, “he started saying weird things,” she told WSOC-TV.
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