Video of deadly Charlotte light rail stabbing receives national attention

North Carolina is in the national spotlight after video captured a woman being stabbed to death on a light rail train. WRAL News is looking into why the incident is gaining attention nearly two weeks later and how state and national leaders are responding.
Posted 9/8/2025, 9:10:53 PM Updated 9/8/2025, 10:00:07 PM

TO US.

>> RIGHT NOW AT 5 O'CLOCK,

NORTH CAROLINA'S IN THE

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT AFTER A

WOMAN WAS STABBED TO DEATH ON A

LIGHT RAIL TRAIN MORE THAN 2

WEEKS AGO. AND IT WAS ALL

CAUGHT ON VIDEO. THANK YOU FOR

JOINING US. I'M GERALD OWENS

AND I'M ASHLEY WROTE TODAY

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP TALKED

ABOUT THE STABBING.

>> DURING A SPEECH AT THE

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE,

WRAL'S GRACE HALL AND HAS MORE

ON WHY IT'S GAINING ATTENTION

NOW AND HOW STATE AND NATIONAL

LEADERS ARE RESPONDING. GRACE.

>> AND 23 YEAR-OLD ROOTS GO WAS

KILLED ON A CAT'S LIGHT RAIL

TRAIN IN CHARLOTTE ON AUGUST.

22ND. YOU SEE HER PICTURE RIGHT

HERE. 34 YEAR-OLD TO CARLOS

BROWN IS CHARGED WITH

FIRST-DEGREE MURDER IN HER

DEATH. A WARNING. WE'RE GOING

TO SHOW YOU THIS VIDEO AND IT

IS GOING TO BE DISTURBING FOR

SOME VIEWERS. CHARLOTTE TRANSIT

SYSTEM RELEASED SHIRT,

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO OF THE

STABBING IN A NEW SEASON ROUTES

COULD GET ON THE BUS AND SIT IN

THE FRONT ROW OF BROWN AT ONE

POINT, BROWN REACHES INTO HIS

POCKET QUICKLY GETS UP AND

LIFTS HIS HAND. WE'RE GOING TO

STOP THE VIDEO. THERE IS A RISK

OF DIED OF HER INJURIES.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP WAS

FIRST ASKED ABOUT THE STABBING

BY REPORTER YESTERDAY AT THE

TIME. HE SAID HE WAS UNAWARE OF

THE SITUATION. BUT TODAY HE

SPOKE ABOUT THE MURDER DURING

HIS REMARKS AT THE MUSEUM OF

THE BIBLE IN WASHINGTON, D.C..

>> I JUST GIVE MY LOVE AND HOPE

TO THE FAMILY OF THE YOUNG

WOMAN WHO WAS STABBED THIS

MORNING OR LAST NIGHT IN

CHARLOTTE.

BY A MADMAN LUNATIC JUST GOT

UP AND STARTED TO TRADE ON THAT

TAPE. THAT'S NOT REALLY

WATCHABLE BECAUSE IT'S SO

HORRIBLE.

>> AND AGAIN, JUST TO CLARIFY

THE STABBING DID HAPPEN MORE

THAN 2 WEEKS AGO. BUT THAT

VIDEO IS THE NEW THING HERE

IS JUST RELEASED IN THE LAST

FEW DAYS AND IT HAS REALLY

BROUGHT THE CASE INTO THE

SPOTLIGHT. GOVERNOR JOSH STEIN

WENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY

CALLING FOR STATE LAWMAKERS

TO PASS HIS LAW ENFORCEMENT AND

RECRUITMENT PACKAGE. SHE SAID

IN PART WE NEED MORE COPS ON

THE BEAT TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE.

THAT'S WHY MY BUDGET CALLS FOR

MORE FUNDING TO HIRE MORE WELL

TRAINED POLICE OFFICERS.

U.S. SENATORS THOM TILLIS AND

TED BUDD BOTH CRITICIZED THE

JUSTICE SYSTEM REFERRING TO

WEAK ON CRIME JUDGES AND

PROSECUTORS AND VIOLENT

CRIMINALS WALKING FREE, NORTH

CAROLINA ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF

JACKSON SAYS HE HAS TOLD THE

DISTRICT ATTORNEY THAT HIS

OFFICE WILL PROVIDE ANY AND

ALL SUPPORT TO DELIVER JUSTICE.

WRAL NEWS LOOKED INTO BROWN'S

CRIMINAL HISTORY SINCE 2011.

HE HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH A

TOTAL OF 8 FELONIES AND 6

MISDEMEANORS. HE WAS IN PRISON

FOR NEARLY 6 YEARS STARTING IN

2015, BROWN WAS RELEASED IN

2020, ACCORDING TO COURT

DOCUMENTS. THE FIRST CHARGE

FOLLOWING HIS PRISON SENTENCE

WAS A MISDEMEANOR FOR MISUSE OF

THE 9-1-1. SYSTEM. AN AFFIDAVIT

SAYS BROWN CALLED 9-1-1 BECAUSE

HE BELIEVED HE WAS GIVEN A

MANMADE MATERIAL THAT

CONTROLLED WHEN HE ATE WALKED

AND TALKED. HE WAS OUT OF JAIL

AND ON A WRITTEN PROMISE TO

APPEAR FOR THAT CHARGE WHEN

THE STABBING HAPPENED. BROWN'S

ATTORNEY HAS FILED A MOTION FOR

HIS COMPETENCY TO BE EVALUATED

IN CONNECTION TO THIS MURDER

CASE IN HIS NEXT COURT HEARING

IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 19TH

IN THE MEANTIME, CAT SAYS IT

HAS INCREASED SECURITY AND

PATROLS. THE AGENCY SHARED

PLANS TO UPGRADE ITS CAMERAS,

INCREASED STAFFING AND