Transit officials in North Carolina released a graphic video showing the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a light rail train.

Police responded to the scene around 10 p.m. Aug. 22 after a 911 caller reported a woman had been stabbed in the throat, according to an affidavit. Iryna Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a statement.

Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in Zarutska's death, police said. Brown was taken into custody Aug. 28 after being treated at a hospital for injuries police say he sustained during the attack.

Video of the attack obtained by police and later released to multiple media outlets showed Zarutska entered the train car and sat directly in front of Brown. Police said the train traveled about 4½ minutes before Brown pulled a knife from his pocket and struck Zarutska three times.

Blood can be seen dripping onto the floor as Brown walked away from Zarutska, police said. There appeared to be no interaction between the two before the attack.

President Donald Trump addressed the attack Sept. 8 while speaking at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, saying the video is "not really watchable, because it's so horrible."

"So there are evil people, and we have to be able to handle that," Trump said. "If we don't handle that, we don't have a country."

Brown is being held without bond and will be examined to determine his mental capacity to proceed, according to a judge's order. His attorney, Daniel P. Roberts, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY.

Brown has been arrested multiple times over the past decade on suspicion of offenses ranging from misuse of the 911 system to robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to court records. The stabbing has attracted attention from officials, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who said local authorities failed to "properly punish" Brown after his past arrests.

Michael Stolp, a spokesperson for Mecklenburg County's District Attorney's Office, declined to comment on the case, citing the state's rules of professional conduct.

Meanwhile, a family friend told local media Zarutska recently moved to Charlotte from Ukraine and "had a heart of gold."

Zarutska started as a student at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 2023, school spokesperson Dusty R. Saine confirmed to USA TODAY. She had completed classes in English as a second language and had planned to take college courses at the school but had not yet registered at the time of her death, Saine said.

"Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning," loved ones wrote on a GoFundMe page that has raised nearly $80,000 for her family. "Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon."

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles spoke out about the "heartbreaking attack" in a statement on social media, thanking those who have not shared the footage out of respect for the victim's family.

"This was a senseless and tragic loss," Lyles wrote. "My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time."

Contributing: Francesca Chambers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video of 'heartbreaking' deadly stabbing on Charlotte light train released

Reporting by N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect