Ukrainian Refugee Stabbed on N.C. Train Had Survived Bombings in Kyiv Before Coming to U.S. By Liam Quinn

The Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed aboard a light rail train in Charlotte, N.C., survived bombings in her native country before coming to the United States.

Iryna Zarutska was riding a Charlotte Area Transit System light rail train on Aug. 28, when she was stabbed to death. Video of the incident circulated, showing a passenger seated behind the victim stand up and stab her.

According to a statement from family attorney Lauren O. Newton, Zarutska was working at a pizza parlor at the time of her death and had been taking community college courses to improve her English.

“She was a kind and hardworking young woman, deeply loved by her family and friends,” the statement said. “That night, she texted her boyfriend that she would be home soon. Tragically, her journey ended in violence near the Camden light rail station.”

CNN reported that prior to coming to the U.S., Zarutska studied in Kyiv and graduated with a degree in art and restoration.

Citing a family friend, WCNC reported that while living in Kyiv, Zarutska had to endure regular bombings. In Zarutska’s online obituary, her family wrote that she came to the U.S. with her family to “escape the war.”

Her family said Zarutska dreamed of being a veterinary assistant prior to her death.

The victim’s family became concerned on the day of her death after she failed to arrive home on time. After her phone location showed that she was still at a train station, Zarutska’s family arrived there only to learn that she had been pronounced dead at the scene.

“We are heartbroken beyond words,” a family spokesperson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way. No family should have to go through this.”

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After video of the stabbing was released by authorities, it became the subject of a political firestorm on issues involving crime in cities and criminal justice policy. Zarutska’s family has requested that media outlets stop circulating the shocking video.

A suspect, DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, was subsequently arrested in connection with the attack and was charged by federal prosecutors with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson. “Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most — Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family.”