{"id":2485149,"date":"2025-09-11T07:53:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/coopers-crime-record-under-scrutiny-after-charlotte-light-rail-killing\/"},"modified":"2025-09-11T07:55:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:55:40","slug":"coopers-crime-record-under-scrutiny-after-charlotte-light-rail-killing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/coopers-crime-record-under-scrutiny-after-charlotte-light-rail-killing\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooper&#8217;s crime record under scrutiny after Charlotte light rail killing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcoopers-crime-record-under-scrutiny-after-charlotte-light-rail-killing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2485149&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the political fallout following the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte light rail train. The incident has intensified scrutiny on North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper&#8217;s criminal justice record amid his competitive U.S. Senate race against Republican Michael Whatley.Critics, particularly Republicans including former President Donald Trump, blame Cooper&#8217;s 2020 Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal justice for promoting lenient policies that allegedly allowed the suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr.-who had a lengthy criminal history-to remain free and commit the murder. The task force,created after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor,aimed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-scott-we-need-opportunity-society-not-woke-supremacists\/\" title=\"Sen. Scott: We need opportunity society, not woke supremacists\">address racial disparities<\/a> and reform parts of the justice system but has been criticized for encouraging softness on crime.<\/p>\n<p>Whatley and GOP figures have used the stabbing to attack Cooper&#8217;s policies, accusing him of failing to keep repeat offenders off the streets.Cooper condemned the killing but accused Republicans of politicizing the tragedy and pointed to Republican-backed federal cuts to law enforcement funding as exacerbating safety issues. Democratic strategists argue that the task force&#8217;s intent was to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/capital-punishment-top-dc-prosecutor-brought-hundreds-of-jan-6-charges-while-declining-to-prosecute-some-city-violence\/\" title=\"DC prosecutor brings numerous Jan. 6 charges, overlooks certain city violence cases\">improve community-police relations<\/a>, not weaken public safety, and suggest the attack resulted from multiple systemic failures beyond Cooper&#8217;s control.<\/p>\n<p>Political analysts note the stabbing&#8217;s video evidence and the broader national GOP crime narrative make it a potent campaign issue likely to energize Republican voters, though its direct connection to cooper&#8217;s policies might potentially be a stretch for most voters. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >controversy highlights ongoing tensions<\/a> in North Carolina politics around crime and criminal justice reform as the Senate race heats up. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Roy Cooper&rsquo;s &lsquo;racial equity&rsquo; task force under scrutiny after Charlotte rail stabbing<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2226398\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3796856\/what-to-know-charlotte-light-rail-stabbing-iryna-zarutska\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> fatal stabbing<\/a> of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train has put a spotlight on former Gov. Roy Cooper&rsquo;s record on criminal justice in the high-stakes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">North Carolina<\/a> Senate race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Cooper, a Democrat, is facing Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). Crime has become a flashpoint in the race after the release of video footage showing Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, sitting unsuspectingly in front of her would-be killer before he stood up and brutally stabbed her on a commuter train. <\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3799990\/kamala-harris-book-tour-clouds-democrats-2025-momentum\/\">Harris book tour clouds Democrats&#8217; 2025 momentum<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3801951\/house-oversight-dc-crime-bills-trump-federal-takeover-expires\/\">House Oversight takes up DC crime bills on day Trump&#8217;s federal takeover expires<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3801758\/adam-hollier-run-michigan-secretary-of-state\/\">Ex-Whitmer Cabinet member ends House bid to run for Michigan secretary of state<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3796856\/what-to-know-charlotte-light-rail-stabbing-iryna-zarutska\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT FATAL STABBING OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEE ON CHARLOTTE&rsquo;S LIGHT RAIL<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Police identified the suspect as Decarlos Brown Jr, 34, who has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for armed robbery, felony larceny, and breaking and entering. Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3800350\/trump-wants-death-penalty-decarlos-brown-jr-murder-iryna-zarutska\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called for the death penalty<\/a> in the case and blamed lenient policies by Democrats and judges for Brown being free to kill.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This screengrab made from video provided by the Charlotte Area Transit System shows Iryna Zarutska, bottom right, before she was fatally stabbed on a commuter train on Aug. 22, 2025. (Charlotte Area Transit System via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Central to that debate is Cooper&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ncdoj.gov\/trec\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2020 Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice<\/a>, created after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The panel issued over 100 recommendations, from limiting cash bail for misdemeanors to expanding racial equity training for prosecutors. While the Republican-led legislature never adopted many proposals, some elements have been implemented, including new law enforcement training standards and accreditation programs.<\/p>\n<p>Supporters argue the task force helped modernize parts of the justice system and address racial disparities. Critics contend it set a tone of leniency, a charge Republicans have revived in the wake of the Charlotte stabbing. Pointing to Brown&rsquo;s lengthy record and repeated releases, the National Republican Senatorial Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NRSC\/status\/1965543744184123744\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched a digital ad<\/a> this week tying the killing directly to Cooper, accusing him of pursuing &ldquo;soft-on-crime&rdquo; policies as governor.<\/p>\n<p>Whatley, the Republican nominee, has kept up a steady drumbeat on social media. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been 18 days since Iryna Zarutska was murdered on the Charlotte Light Rail, and we still haven&rsquo;t heard from Roy Cooper himself,&rdquo; he <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChairmanWhatley\/status\/1965494294988599628\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">posted <\/a>Tuesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChairmanWhatley\/status\/1965594694081208494\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">before slamming<\/a> the governor for failing to prevent repeat offenders from returning to the streets. <\/p>\n<p>When Cooper <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RoyCooperNC\/status\/1965546035515981935\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">later condemned<\/a> the killing as &ldquo;a horrible tragedy&rdquo; and accused Republicans of exploiting it for political gain, Whatley shot back: &ldquo;Law enforcement did their job and arrested this thug 14 times &ndash; YOU repeatedly FAILED to do yours.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gov. Roy Cooper speaks during a press conference for Concert for Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by Amy Harris\/Invision\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The criticism has spread beyond the state. Vice President JD Vance amplified the attack, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JDVance\/status\/1965607283641254269\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">writing on X<\/a> that &ldquo;weak politicians like you&hellip; kept letting him out of prison.&rdquo; Cooper <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RoyCooperNC\/status\/1965803092412338300\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">responded directly<\/a> on X Wednesday: &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re really concerned about the safety of North Carolinians, Mr. Vice President, you would reverse the federal cuts to local and state law enforcement that you and Michael Whatley championed so that our police have the tools to keep North Carolinians safe.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) also weighed in, telling the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that the case &ldquo;shows you [Cooper&rsquo;s] bad policies and how dangerous they are to people in some of the great cities of our state.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Budd pointed to the suspect&rsquo;s repeated releases from jail as a failure of leadership: &ldquo;This guy had been released 14 times, and now she&rsquo;s dead.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>He added, &ldquo;This goes back to Roy Cooper and setting the tone for some very bad policies in our state. We want people, whether they&rsquo;re rural or whether they&rsquo;re in an urban setting, to be safe 24\/7, wherever they are. And the policies of Roy Cooper didn&rsquo;t lead to that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cooper&rsquo;s campaign stressed that the governor has a long record of prosecuting violent offenders, raising penalties for assaults on law enforcement, and keeping criminals behind bars. They described the Charlotte killing as a &ldquo;despicable act of evil&rdquo; and said Zarutska&rsquo;s family remains in their prayers. His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans argue the episode shows how Cooper is facing a new level of scrutiny as a Senate candidate. <\/p>\n<p>A North Carolina GOP operative noted that although many of the task force&rsquo;s proposals never became law, the recommendations, from eliminating cash bail to broad reforms critics describe as &ldquo;coddling criminals,&rdquo; now look far more significant in the glare of a statewide campaign. &ldquo;There are people digging into it, and that&rsquo;s why this has become the opening salvo in the Senate race,&rdquo; the strategist said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Then-Chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Whatley speaks at AmericaFest, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Democrats, meanwhile, caution against oversimplifying the task force&rsquo;s role. Doug Wilson, a North Carolina Democratic strategist, said the panel was created to improve coordination between police and the communities they serve, not to weaken public safety.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The title to a Republican strategist or Republican elected official may sound very progressive, but it was just trying to make sure that police and the communities that they serve were in sync,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Wilson argued the Charlotte attack resulted from several failures, from lax ticket enforcement to reliance on private security,&nbsp;rather than policies from Cooper&rsquo;s tenure. He predicted Republicans will continue to raise the stabbing as a campaign issue, and said Democrats must be ready.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Being tough on crime doesn&rsquo;t make you a bad Democrat,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;It makes you a Democrat who wants to make sure that his or her community is safe and that the communities that are served by police officers are in sync.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3800350\/trump-wants-death-penalty-decarlos-brown-jr-murder-iryna-zarutska\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>TRUMP WANTS DEATH PENALTY FOR &lsquo;ANIMAL&rsquo; WHO KILLED IRYNA ZARUTSKA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, said Whatley is likely to keep pressing the issue because it fits squarely into the GOP&rsquo;s broader crime message.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Because it&rsquo;s on video and because it&rsquo;s consistent with Republican rhetoric that cities have gotten out of control, I think he&rsquo;s certainly going to lean into this issue and try to lay blame at the feet of Roy Cooper and at the feet of cities controlled by Democrats,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>But he noted the political limits, arguing that it is &ldquo;a big stretch&rdquo; to link a local stabbing to the former governor&rsquo;s power or to the task force. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think most voters are going to make that kind of connection,&rdquo; Cooper said. &ldquo;But can it mobilize the Republican base? Yeah, I think it might help a little.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cooper&#8217;s racial equity task force questioned after Charlotte stabbing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3253,"featured_media":2485150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25252001575214_911fcb.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[20464,6118,32428,62834],"class_list":["post-2485149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-charlotte","tag-cooper","tag-crime-record","tag-light-rail"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP25252001575214_911fcb.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2485149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2485149"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2485149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2485153,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2485149\/revisions\/2485153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2485150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2485149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2485149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2485149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}