Crime · Charlotte, NC
A 17-year-old Charlotte resident was arrested Monday, Oct. 26, and charged with felony hit-and-run resulting in death after confessing to striking a 6-year-old girl with his Mercedes-Benz, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said. The crash occurred around 3:20 p.m. Friday near Devonshire Elementary School, where the victim had just gotten off a school bus; she died at a hospital the next day. Police say the suspect lacked a valid driver's license and fled the scene without rendering aid.
Crime · Charlotte, NC
A death penalty hearing for DeCarlos Brown Jr., charged in the August 2025 stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina light rail, was continued at Tuesday's proceeding in Mecklenburg County Superior Court in uptown Charlotte. Judge Louis Trosch Jr. granted a joint request from prosecutors and defense after officials determined Brown remains incapable of proceeding while doctors work to restore his mental capacity in federal custody. The case is set to return before the judge on May 4. Neither state nor federal prosecutors have confirmed whether they will pursue the death penalty, though President Trump has said he wants Brown to face it.
