Person of interest in custody in unprovoked stabbing death of Brooklyn activist: Sources

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on October 5, 2023

(NEW YORK) — A person of interest, Brian Dowling, is in custody in connection with the stabbing of Brooklyn, New York, activist Ryan Carson, police sources told ABC News.

No charges have been filed as of yet.

Carson, 31, died after being stabbed in the chest multiple times during an apparently unprovoked attack early Monday morning in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, police said.

Carson and his girlfriend were coming home from a wedding at the time.

The suspect walked past the couple while they were seated on a bench at a bus stop, police said. As the two then walked toward the suspect, he started to damage scooters and said to Carson, “What are you looking at?” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday.

As Carson tried to de-escalate the situation, the suspect swung a knife at him, Kenny said. Carson backed up and tripped, falling to the ground. The suspect then stabbed him three times, with the knife piercing his heart, Kenny said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.