21-year-old Ukrainian refugee shot dead in North Carolina
Photo: US police investigate killing of Ukrainian (Getty Images)
In North Carolina on February 14, 21-year-old Ukrainian Kateryna Tovmash, who had moved to the US after Russia's full-scale invasion, was shot dead. Her ex-boyfriend is suspected of the murder, according to a statement from the Moore County Police and a message from the victim's brother, Mykhailo Tovmash.
Read also: North Carolina signs Iryna's Law after Ukrainian refugee's murder
Details of the crime
According to the investigation, around 7:45 a.m., authorities received a report of a shooting at a home on Daphne Lane in the town of Vass, North Carolina. Two bodies were found at the scene: the 21-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man.
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect is 25-year-old Caleb Hayden Fosno from Ohio. According to investigators, he broke into the house and opened fire. He has been charged with unlawful entry and two counts of first-degree murder.
After the attack, the man fled but was later apprehended by law enforcement. Police stated they consider the incident an isolated case and do not see a threat to the local community.
Details from the family
The victim’s brother, Mykhailo Tovmash, said the suspect came from Ohio and broke into the house where Kateryna lived with younger family members. According to him, the attacker forced a child to wake his sister, then shot her and her 28-year-old partner, who was nearby.
The younger children were unharmed during the attack.
“A refugee who fled the war in Ukraine seeking safety in the United States, was murdered in her own home in North Carolina. This is a second time for the past year, when a Ukrainian woman who is a refugee and is hiding for safety in North Carolina, gets murdered by a man,” Mykhailo wrote.
Ukrainian woman Kateryna Tovmash killed in the US (screenshot from Mykhailo Tovmash's Instagram page)
What is known about the victim
Kateryna Tovmash was originally from Bila Tserkva. She had lived in the United States for about two years after her family moved abroad following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The investigation is ongoing. Authorities have promised to release additional information after completing the necessary procedural steps.
The murder of Iryna Zarutska
This is the second killing of a Ukrainian refugee in the US in the past year. Twenty-three-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who moved to the United States after the start of the war, was killed on August 22, 2025, at a South End tram stop in Charlotte, North Carolina.
According to police, the suspect, 34-year-old Dekarlos Brown, was arrested. Authorities reported that he had been previously held accountable at least ten times.
US President Donald Trump reacted to the tragedy, calling the attacker crazy and stating the need for strict measures, also announcing harsh actions in response.
The motive for the crime has not yet been established. According to investigators, Iryna and the suspect did not know each other. Brown reportedly had mental health issues. He is charged with murder at a public transportation site, a crime that could carry the death penalty.
