On Aug. 22, Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death while riding a light-rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. After security footage of the brutal, unprovoked attack was released, church leaders and politicians began debating issues of crime and punishment, morality, and race.
Zarutska, 23, fled Ukraine with her family in 2022 to begin a new life in America. A family spokesperson said Zarutska “came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way.”
Based on video from the train, the passenger who’d been sitting behind Zarutska allegedly stabbed the white woman three times in the throat. That suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, is Black and has a lengthy criminal record—as well as a history of mental illness. He has been charged with a federal crime, which carries the possibility of the death penalty.
In footage of the incident, Brown walked away while reportedly saying, “Got that white girl.” Meanwhile, Zarutska slumped to the floor, bleeding profusely. For several minutes, no one came to her aid—including several Black passengers visible on the video. Finally, a man attempted to assist her and called 911.
Now both conservatives and liberals are politicizing the tragedy, with faith leaders chiming in about racial and social issues.
Dr. Albert Mohler: Where’s the ‘Outrage on the Left’?
In a Sept. 10 opinion piece for World, Dr. Albert Mohler used Zarutska’s murder to point out “deep division between liberals and conservatives.” Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College, said liberals view crime as a sociological and systemic issue, while conservatives view it as a moral and heart issue.
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For the political left, Mohler wrote, being “soft on crime” is a “feature” of their system, not just a “bug” in it. He pointed to Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, who cited “root causes” of violence and told citizens to stop “villainizing” people who face mental health challenges and homelessness.
Mohler decried “the lack of outrage on the left,” saying conservatives should “let the liberals speak their minds and reveal their toxic ideas—and make sure they are recorded for future use.” In this case, he said, conservatives should focus on “sin and evil, crime and punishment,” not race.
Charlotte pastor and Southern Baptist Convention president Clint Pressley said he supported Mohler’s opinion. “The grotesque murder of Iryna Zarutska exposes the failure of progressivism to protect our people and our cities,” Pressley posted on X. “God ordained government to wield the sword of justice—not to play social worker for coddling evil.”
But Jon Harris, director of “The 1607 Project,” pushed back. “Here’s the problem Pastor Pressley,” Harris wrote. “You are a prominent pastor in Charlotte. You are the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. Yet, you have never publicly repented of pushing the narrative that led to this.” Harris shared video of Pressley celebrating Black History Month and discussing the importance of racial reconciliation.
