How NC lawmakers plan to respond to Charlotte transit killing
North Carolina legislative leaders and the governor say they're working toward a bipartisan solution in response to the killing of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train.
On Aug. 22, police say, DeCarlos Brown Jr. fatally stabbed Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train. When lawmakers return to Raleigh exactly one month later, a top priority will be a public safety bill addressing the tragedy.
Recently released video footage of the incident prompted an uproar on social media. Republicans blamed court magistrates and city officials for what they see as soft-on-crime policies, while Democrats called for more law enforcement funding.
Brown is schizophrenic and has a history of mental health issues, family members have said, and he has been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina for various offenses.
Republican leaders say Brown never should’ve been allowed back on the streets and announced on Thursday that they’ll try to pass legislation in a couple of weeks in response to the killing.
House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger said they haven’t drafted a bill but hope the legislation will include at least some of the following policy objectives:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Anderson Alerts to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.