Iryna Zarutska stabbing

Decarlos Brown Jr., the man charged with stabbing Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail, suffered from schizophrenic delusions and poor mental health since his release from prison in 2020, according to his family. The case shows how the state struggles to contain and treat mentally ill people who may pose a risk to the public.

The stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail renewed conversations about the need for mental health treatment and led some leaders to examine the involuntary commitment process for people who pose a danger to themselves and others. A crime bill recently passed by the legislature takes steps in that direction and we examine how the involuntary commitment process works and where it might go wrong.

As Decarlos Brown Jr.’s competency is evaluated, he is one of a rising number of defendants in North Carolina caught in a system that struggles to keep pace with court-ordered mental health evaluations and treatment.

The General Assembly passed the legislation in response to the widely publicized murder of Iryna Zarutska on board a Charlotte light rail car.

The Charlotte Area Transit System showed off some of its new security initiatives Friday, introducing new patrol vehicles that people will see around transit properties, during a news conference attended by Mayor Vi Lyles and City Manager Marcus Jones.

Citing concerns about a wave of homicides in the past six weeks, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police is requesting that the National Guard be deployed to Charlotte.

A U.S. House subcommittee holds a hearing in Charlotte about crime and safety, state auditor Dave Boliek publishes a report on CATS security, Gov. Josh Stein calls on the General Assembly to make up a shortfall on Medicaid, and the impact of the federal government on North Carolina.

Lawmakers were back in Raleigh last week. They passed a law in response to the murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s Blue Line train in August, but they didn’t tackle the budget and if the House and Senate don’t come to an agreement on Medicaid, thousands could lose access to care. Meanwhile, the redistricting debate could be hitting North Carolina.

A preliminary report from North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek faults the Charlotte Area Transit System for not hiring enough armed security guards on its light rail system. The report released Tuesday says that even though CATS tripled its security budget and hired more security personnel overall in recent years, the number of armed officers fell by 40 percent. The city of Charlotte responded that it has added more CMPD officers to supplement patrols on the light rail. The audit was prompted by the killing of Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line light rail. A final report is pending.

The U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing in uptown Charlotte Monday, a month after the murder of Iryna Zarutska on the Lynx Blue Line train.