Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper was captured on video attempting to make a mad dash for the hills after an individual asked him why he decided to release Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., a 34-year-old career criminal charged with the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska in August 2025. As Cooper was confronted about the fateful choice he made to let Brown out of prison, one of his aides stepped in front of the person asking the question.
The aide was attempting to prevent the questioner from getting closer to Cooper so she could not continue her line of questioning concerning Cooper’s record on law and order. The Senate candidate then panicked after a failed attempt to escape through a revolving door that was out of service. The individual continued to ask questions as Cooper tried to get away through another side door.
“Excuse me, Mr. Cooper, why did you release Decarlos Brown from prison early allowing him to kill…kill Iryna Zarutska? You have no comment?” She asked him. “Do you stand by releasing 3,500 prisoners as governor? You have no comment?” Republicans have taken Cooper to task in their campaign against Cooper over his soft-on-crime policies.
According to ABC News, Republicans in North Carolina placed the blame for Zarutska’s sickening murder, which was captured on security footage on a light-rail train, in September 2025, stating it was his “woke” policies and lenient take on law enforcement that led to the fatal stabbing of the 23-year-old. Cooper, the former governor of the state, responded by accusing the GOP of politicizing a tragedy.
At the time, a joint news conference featuring Republican leaders was held where they condemned the “woke” policies and “ongoing failures” of Democratic leaders to effectively address crime, claiming that these contributed to Zarutska’s death. “Iryna Zarutska died because of the Democrat policies in Charlotte-Mecklenburg,” Kyle Kirby, chairman of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party, went on to say.
Jason Simmons, Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, said that “Democrats have chosen to side with criminals,” which has led to a “crime epidemic.” Brown, who stabbed Zarutska three times on the train, has a lengthy criminal record that includes breaking and entering charges. He spent five years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon, starting in 2015.
Cooper fired back at Republicans during a post he published on X, saying, “The murder of Iryna Zarutska is a horrible tragedy and we must do everything we can to keep people safe. “Only a cynical DC insider would think it’s acceptable to use her death for political points, especially one who supported cutting funding to law enforcement in NC.”
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A user on the viral clip of Cooper attempting to make his getaway noted this wasn’t the first time that he tried to avoid providing an answer to the question. “This is not the first time he has run away from the question…And the current polling still shows Cooper in a big lead for the Senate seat here in NC. Hopefully, more NC voters open their eyes.”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video