CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) -- The stabbing death of a Ukrainian woman in Charlotte is hitting the immigrant community from that war-torn country hard.

The killing happened near a CATS light rail station in South End last Friday night.

Police are accusing Charlotte resident Decarlos Brown in the murder of Iryna Zarutska.

The 23-year-old woman left Ukraine for the Charlotte area three years ago to escape her country's war with Russia.

"Everybody was shocked, and people still are," said Anna Bondar, a Ukrainian refugee who knows Zarutska's aunt.

Bondar says Ukrainians are used to horrible news, but usually it comes from home, not North Carolina, which she calls the "bright, sunny" half of their lives.

“Charlotte is considered a safe place by most people," Bondar said. "When somet

See Full Page