North Carolina Republican officials on Wednesday announced a vigil in honor of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who died last month in an unprovoked stabbing on Charlotte’s transit system.
The vigil will be held at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in Charlotte at 8 p.m. on Sept. 22 to mark 30 days after Zarutska’s death.
“I call on every able-bodied [Charlotte resident] and person in this city who is concerned about crime to turn out to a candlelight vigil in Iryna Zarutska’s honor,” Kyle Kirby of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party said. “We will stand shoulder to shoulder … showing the world we will not let her death be erased by complicit ‘media partners.’”
Kirby’s shot at the media appeared to reference Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who thanked local media outlets and community members for not sharing the viral video of Zarutska’s death last weekend.
Other GOP officials attending Wednesday’s press conference blamed Democrats for Zarutska’s death, which many speakers said was “preventable.” They also took the opportunity to call on Charlotte voters to support candidates who will aggressively combat crime in the blue city.
Terrie Donovan, the Republican nominee running for Charlotte mayor, spoke at the press conference about Zarutska’s death and, more broadly, the city’s crime problem.
“This is no longer a matter of voting red or voting blue,” she said. “This is a matter of voting for common sense. We all have to unite, and we have to have new leadership in Charlotte.”
Donovan will be challenging Lyles in November after the incumbent mayor won Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Donovan has taken a much tougher stance on crime than her Democratic counterpart.
Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, died on Aug. 22 after a man, who the police identified as Decarlos Brown Jr., stabbed her three times in the neck. The train stabbing generated massive outrage from right-wing commentators on social media over the weekend, prompting President Donald Trump and administration officials to respond.
The Department of Justice charged Brown with one federal count for committing murder on a mass transportation system, while the Department of Transportation is exploring the prospect of revoking federal funding from Charlotte over the incident. The FBI has been investigating the crime since the start.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump called for the death penalty against Brown after a quick trial. The president called the imprisoned suspect an “animal.”
Addul Ali, chairman of North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District Republican Party, thanked Trump for taking action and putting victims, such as Zarutska, first instead of career criminals. Meanwhile, the local official excoriated Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), who represents Charlotte’s congressional district.
“She’s silent. She didn’t say a word about this until Donald Trump said it first,” Ali said. “Why didn’t she say a word about it? Because she cares more about retaining what she calls her seat than she does about protecting the people of this district.”
CHARLOTTE MAYOR VI LYLES COMFORTABLY WINS PRIMARY DAYS AFTER TRAIN STABBING UPROAR
“My message to Alma Adams is: That seat doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to the people of this district,” he added.
The North Carolina GOP voiced support for Trump’s activation of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., with Chairman Jason Simmons saying other cities should look at the federal takeover as a model for combating crime.