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Trump falsely links Charlotte light rail stabbing suspect to immigration
February 25, 2026 at 9:02 AM EST
During Tuesday night’s address to Congress, President Donald Trump falsely claimed the suspect in last year’s fatal stabbing on Charlotte’s light rail entered the country through “open borders.”
Trump made the assertion while referencing the killing of Iryna Zarutska, whose mother attended the speech as a guest.
“She had escaped a brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America. Came in through open borders,” Trump said.
The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., is a U.S. citizen with a lengthy criminal record and was out on bond at the time of the stabbing aboard the LYNX Blue Line.
Trump made the assertion while referencing the killing of Iryna Zarutska, whose mother attended the speech as a guest.
“She had escaped a brutal war only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America. Came in through open borders,” Trump said.
The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., is a U.S. citizen with a lengthy criminal record and was out on bond at the time of the stabbing aboard the LYNX Blue Line.