(Ken Silva, Headline USA) In an act of censorship, YouTube has removed footage that Headline USA obtained of the Aug. 22 incident where Charlotte homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr. stabbed a 23-year-old female Ukrainian to death on a public transit.
This publication was the first to obtain and publish the footage of the incident on Tuesday. Despite the fact that we blurred both the stabbing and the face of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska’s as her life slipped away, YouTube still said it violated its content policy. The company denied our appeal, too.
“Violent or graphic content that intends to shock or disgust isn’t allowed on YouTube,” the company said. “We may make limited exceptions for content with educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic context.”
🚨In an act of censorship, YouTube removed one of our videos of the Charlotte train stabbing last night. The company already denied our appeal, too. https://t.co/kT5P3HXqJf pic.twitter.com/YmELL5c4t2
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 10, 2025
YouTube still has countless other videos of graphic deaths, including politically charged ones such as those of George Floyd and LaVoy Finicum.
Headline USA’s footage can still be found on Twitter/X.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department on Tuesday announced federal charges against Brown.
He is charged federally with causing death on a mass transportation system, which carries up to life in prison or the death penalty. Russ Ferguson, the U.S. attorney for the western district of North Carolina, said additional charges could be brought as the investigation continues.
The federal case will run parallel with the state case charging Brown with first-degree murder.
https://twitter.com/HeadlineUSA/status/1965545388812972459
Brown had cycled through the criminal justice system for more than a decade including serving five years for robbery with a dangerous weapon in Mecklenburg County, according to court records. He was arrested earlier this year after repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital, claiming people were trying to control him. A judge released him without bail.
His mother told local television she sought an involuntary psychiatric commitment this year after he became violent at home. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia.
Court records show a judge ordered a psychological exam in July at the request of his public defender to determine whether he was capable of contributing to his own defense. It wasn’t clear if the exam was scheduled or why it didn’t happen before the late August attack.
Zarutska, for her part, had been living in a bomb shelter in Ukraine before coming to the U.S. to escape the war, according to relatives, who described her as determined to build a safer life.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
