India, Sept. 8 -- Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles is under mounting criticism over her comments following the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on public transport. In her public statement, Lyles referred to the suspect's mental health issues. Surveillance footage released from the August 22 incident showed Zarutska seated in front of her attacker, Decarlos Brown Jr., shortly before the assault.

In her statement, Lyles said that Brown Jr. had struggled with mental issues and looked likely that he "suffered a crisis," as reported by Newsweek. She added that mental health issues should be "treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer or heart disease," prompting backlash from social media users who express...