Suspect arrested in fatal stabbing of Brooklyn activist
New York City police arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of a man that was caught on surveillance video early Monday in the Brooklyn borough.
Ryan Carson, 32, of Brooklyn, was killed in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood shortly before 4 a.m. Monday, police said.
Officers found him with multiple stab wounds to the chest. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
An arrest was made in connection with his death, police said Thursday morning. The suspect was identified as 18-year-old Brian Dowling of Brooklyn. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police announced.
At a media briefing Wednesday, New York Police Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators had developed information about a suspect and were trying to establish probable cause to make an arrest.
He said that after Carson was fatally stabbed, the knife-wielding man also kicked him in the chest.
The assailant then threatened to stab a female companion who was with Carson and spat in her face before he fled, Kenny said.
Carson, wearing a suit, is seen on security video obtained by NBC New York in a confrontation with a man who appears to be holding a knife in his right hand.
The man can be heard telling Carson, “I’m going to kill you right now.”
Carson is heard telling the man, “Chill, chill, chill.”
The man takes a swing at Carson’s face, and Carson runs away before he trips over a bus bench and falls to the ground. That’s when the man stabs Carson multiple times, according to the video.
NBC New York reported that Carson’s girlfriend witnessed the violence. The pair had attended a wedding and were waiting for a bus.
Carson worked for the nonprofit New York Public Interest Research Group, which, according to its website, launches public education campaigns "to produce policies that strengthen democracy."
In a statement about his death, the nonprofit group said Carson, a longtime campaign organizer, was killed in a “random street encounter near his home.”
“His engaging personality, hearty laugh and wide-ranging intelligence were keys to his success in advancing the causes he deeply cared about in his work and personal life,” the statement said.
Carson’s relatives could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Mayor Eric Adams called it an "incredibly tragic case" and he thanked the NYPD.
"This arrest is an important step in justice for his family and friends, and we cannot let this kind of violence take place on our streets," Adams said in a statement on social media platform X. "Let us continue to pray for Ryan’s loved ones and the community."
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
