The main topic of conversation on social media today continues to be the horrific killing of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman who was murdered on a train in Charlotte, N.C., last month. Right now, I want to focus on a common reaction I’ve seen, which is to criticize and condemn the other passengers on the train — the bystanders — who did not intervene to help Zarutska.
We’ve already talked about the justifiable conservative outrage that this story did not merit a mention by the national media, even though one-off incidents are frequently seized upon when they fit a liberal narrative. Think of all the attention the wrongful killing of George Floyd received from activists, from the Democratic Party and from the media. Think of the firestorm it caused. But this killing, which was no less horrifying than Floyd’s death — and if we are being honest, arguably more horrifying, given how utterly random and senseless it was — is being framed as an example of conservatives pouncing or seizing on a story that it is inconvenient for the left.
Why on earth is this always the framing? Well, that’s a question for later. I want to turn, instead, to a point I’ve seen many people make, including many conservatives, and one I actually disagree with.
Ben Shapiro, for instance, wrote this on X: “ONE MINUTE, 35 SECONDS. That is how long it was between Iryna Zarutska being stabbed in the neck by an evil and crazed psychopath and anyone — ANYONE — doing anything. Many people stood by and looked apathetically at their phones.”
I understand why some are looking to blame the bystanders, because it’s true — there was no one who immediately rushed to Zarutska’s aid. But I think we’re not putting what happened in context. Because of my own history, I’m always wary of these kinds of things.
I first came to national media attention for debunking a viral video that appeared to show kids at the Lincoln Memorial harassing a Native American man. You know this as the Covington Catholic scandal. The video was selectively clipped, and shot from a deceptive angle. This has taught me never to fully trust what we think we see on video. And indeed, it’s important to remember that the viral surveillance footage of Zarutska’s death is not what the bystanders themselves witnessed.
I’m not going to show that video, though it’s available online if you want to watch it for yourself. I am going to describe what can be seen: If that’s not something you want to hear, you should skip the rest of this radar.
What happens is that Decarlos Brown, the suspect, is sitting behind Zarutska, stands up, and without warning stabs her repeatedly in the neck. He then walks away. There are people sitting around Zarutska, but unfortunately her wounds are on the side of her neck that is facing away from the aisle. At first, it seems that not even Zarutska understands how seriously wounded she is. But after just a few seconds, she beings to lose consciousness; she slumps to the side, and this poor, poor woman falls toward the window seat and then toward the floor.
There are a great many possible reasons why no one approached her for another minute. One, maybe no one had actually noticed that she was in distress: The blood was not obviously visible from the vantage point of the people behind her or on the other side of the aisle from her. Those people might also have been in shock, or terrified of the knife-wielding crazy man.
Eventually there’s enough blood for someone in front of Zarutska to take notice, and valiantly try to help her, even though by then it’s too late. But even if assistance had come a full minute earlier, I don’t know that it would have made a difference.
The reason I’m harping on this, that it’s not the bystanders’ fault, is that I’m very wary of attempts to shift blame onto the bystanders. Let me be abundantly clear: The person who deserves blame is the perpetrator, and anyone who participated in a system that wrongfully allowed a violent, criminal, schizophrenic man to be out on the streets posing a danger to others. The relevant authorities would sure love for us to start pointing fingers at anybody but them.
Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.
