Zarutska family sues Charlotte over light rail killing

One year after the fatal stabbing of Killing of Iryna Zarutska aboard a Charlotte LYNX Blue Line train, her family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the City of Charlotte and its security contractor, Professional Security Services (PSS). The lawsuit, filed by her uncle Frank Scott Haskell in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, alleges systemic failures including inadequate security staffing, lack of fare enforcement, and absence of physical barriers, which the family argues made the attack foreseeable and preventable. The complaint notes that PSS had only 183 of 219 funded security personnel and 11 of 39 armed guards at the time of the killing. It also cites a state audit by North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek revealing $6.5 million in annual fare evasion and reduced safety spending. The family seeks compensatory damages from both defendants and punitive damages from PSS. The accused killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., faces state and federal charges but has been ruled incompetent to stand trial and is receiving psychiatric care. The lawsuit aims to hold the city accountable and push for transit safety reforms.