Charlotte mayor scores primary re-election victory amid national backlash over gruesome train murder
Mayor Vi Lyles of Charlotte North Carolina won Tuesday's Democratic Party mayoral primary in an vote overshadowed the past limited days by the deadly stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee aboard a city train The stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska last month on a light-rail train by a man with a history of mental illness and over a dozen arrests fleetly grabbed national attention and reignited a conversation about crime after guard video of the gruesome attack was issued and went viral Lyles' response to the slaying has been criticized and Republicans claim the mayor and other Democrats are too soft on people with criminal records JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HITS CHARLOTTE TRAIN STABBING SUSPECT WITH FEDERAL CHARGESWhile not specifically criticizing the mayor President Donald Trump on Monday argued that the victim's blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail Trump also placed blame for Zarutska's killing on former Democratic Gov Roy Cooper who is now running for the Senate in battleground North Carolina in a crucial showdown that may determine if Republicans keep control of the chamber UKRAINIAN WOMAN WHO FLED WAR STABBED TO DEATH AT CHARLOTTE LIGHT RAIL STATIONThe Charlotte killing came amid Trump's focus this summer on spotlighting horrific crimes in Democrat-controlled cities as he moves federal forces into urban areas Decarlos Brown Jr who is Black was arrested soon after the stabbing and charged with first-degree murder On Tuesday the Department of Justice charged Brown with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system According to police records he was arrested times over the past years Lyles who is Charlotte s first Black female mayor faced four lesser-known challengers in the Democratic primary with the killing increasingly in the spotlight CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPOne of the mayor's rivals Tigress Sydney Acute McDaniel accused Lyles' response of being a day late and a dollar short Lyles now advances to the general voting process in the Democrat-dominated city against Republican nominee Terrie Donovan a real estate agent who had already made crime her top issue even before the killing The Associated Press contributed to this summary
