By admin 
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The family of Iryna Zarutska plans to file a civil lawsuit as the one-year anniversary of her death approaches.
Read more Romeo Miller unveils new album ‘New Lane’: A fresh direction in music
Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was stabbed to death aboard the Charlotte light rail in South End on Aug. 22, 2025.
DeCarlos Brown Jr. is charged with murder in connection with her death.
The planned lawsuit will target outside parties over alleged security and safety failures that the family believes contributed to the killing.
“We know that violent crime was already an issue, and you can’t turn a blind eye; you have to do something,” Lauren Newton said, attorney for the Zarutska family.
The lawsuit comes as new scrutiny continues over safety and security on the Charlotte Area Transit System. Earlier this week, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek released a report recommending that CATS install turnstiles or gates at every light rail station.
Boliek said the changes could help address fare evasion and improve public safety.
“At some point, there ought to be a mechanism to actually enforce the fares,” Boliek told Queen City News after speaking to the Charlotte Rotary Club on Tuesday. “Either that or there needs to be a public policy of eliminating the fares altogether.”
Boliek’s recommendation was included in his final report examining CATS safety and security following Zarutska’s death. The report noted that Brown, accused of killing her, boarded the light rail without purchasing a ticket.
“You have to keep people safe, and the way you do that, at a basic level, is you enforce fares. You have physical barriers, you have validators, you have to collect the fares, you have to have a plan, you have to have the guard on the train. You have to have something for deterrence,” Newton said.
Fare evasion costs the city an estimated $5 million to $6.5 million in lost revenue each year.
Boliek acknowledged that adding gates could be difficult and expensive, particularly because many Charlotte light rail stations have multiple open-air access points.
Read more Mondo can sing, too: Duplantis releases ‘Gold’ as anthem for Ultimate Championship
“What I’ve heard in feedback is that it’s hard and difficult to do,” Boliek said. “Just because something’s hard and difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.”
Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera questioned whether spending millions on turnstiles is the right approach without more evidence that they would improve safety.
“Before we throw away millions of dollars in installing gates and turnstiles, we need to make sure that the evidence shows that it will help us keep our system safe,” said Ajmera.
Ajmera said CATS should instead focus on enforcing its exclusion list, which is intended to keep people who repeatedly violate transit rules from using the system.
“Otherwise, it’s just a list if you don’t enforce it,” Ajmera said. “That’s where the rubber meets the road.”
CATS said it appreciates the auditor’s report and shares the goal of creating a safe and reliable transit system. The agency said its security contract has increased from $5.8 million to $23.1 million, while contracted security staffing has more than doubled.
CATS also said off-duty law enforcement officers have provided more than 46,000 hours of coverage, and that the agency has developed a new Integrated Security and Public Safety Plan and launched a funded fare modernization program.
According to CATS, Part 1 offenses fell 61% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, followed by a 73% reduction in the second quarter.
“It’s a crude system, and it’s not perfect, but it’s all we have, and we intend to make sure that this family gets justice both through the criminal justice system and the civil justice system,” Newton said.
Read more Motorcyclist dead after crash along Gorman Street, Raleigh police say