The teenager accused of stabbing Brooklyn social justice activist Ryan Thoresen Carson appeared in court Thursday after being charged with first-degree murder.
Brian Dowling, 18, was hauled before a Brooklyn Criminal Court judge shortly after he left a New York City police station in tears after being charged with murder.
The teenager was seen crying as he was led out of the train station in Bedford Stuyvesant several hours after his arrest, with police officers also seizing a knife believed to have been used in the attack.
He allegedly stabbed Carson in the heart at 3:50 a.m. Monday in a brutal attack caught on a surveillance camera as the activist and his girlfriend waited for a bus.
Dowling’s first-degree murder charge could result in him being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole if found guilty.
Dowling, 18, was in court Thursday night after being charged with first-degree murder
The suspected teen murderer was seen during his hearing at Brooklyn Criminal Court in Brooklyn on Thursday evening
The Brooklyn teen was described as “emotionally disturbed,” but neighbors also reacted with surprise to his arrest, saying he came from a “respectful family.”
If the teenager is found guilty, he could face life in prison
He is accused of murdering Ryan Thoresen Carson, 32, who was killed at 4 a.m. Monday morning while waiting for a bus
When police executed a search warrant for his home, a sweatshirt that matched the gun worn by the suspect in the video of Carson’s murder was seized along with the suspected murder weapon.
Dowling’s home is a five-minute walk from where 32-year-old Carson was stabbed.
Dowling was previously described as “emotionally and mentally disturbed” but neighbors reacted with surprise to the grisly allegations, telling he was the “sweetest boy” who was usually never in trouble.
“He’s a nice guy.” “His family are good people … very respectful,” a family friend outside the home added.
He is believed to work at a school in Clinton Hill, and his alleged awkward behavior also led to his own aunt reporting him to the police two months ago after he broke his girlfriend’s clothes in a fight.
His alleged victim was a social justice and left-wing advocate, including leading a campaign to establish drug consumption sites throughout the city, and a passionate environmentalist.
Carson’s girlfriend, according to now-blocked social media profiles, was an avid BLM activist who used the cop-hating acronym ACAB in some posts, among other things.
Teenage suspect Brian Dowling, 18, is being marched out of the 81st Precinct in Bedford Stuyvesant today
Dowling cried as he was removed from Brooklyn Borough after being arrested for first-degree murder
Dowling wore a white T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops as he accompanied the perpetrator – with his hands and feet handcuffed
Dowling was taken to Central Booking this afternoon
A tearful Dowling is led out of the 81st Precinct in Brooklyn today
In the picture, Dowling was pictured in the back seat of the detective car as he left the police station
On Wednesday, the activist’s friends raised eyebrows when they claimed he felt sorry for the teenager who allegedly stabbed him and wanted his murder to be used to promote left-wing politics.
“I know he would have wanted people to use his death as a tool to talk about structural injustices in the city,” New York State Assembly member Emily Gallagher told The Gothamist.
“I’m absolutely certain that he would immediately recognize that this is an individual who is suffering from a lack of resources in our community and probably needs better mental health support, possibly housing, possibly drug support or drug treatment.”
“To avenge his death, he wants us to fix how broken this city is.”
Yesterday, friends set up a GoFundMe account for Carson’s girlfriend. So far they have raised $60,000.
It remains unclear what prompted Dowling to attack. In the video, a suspect, believed to be the 18-year-old, initially walked past Carson and Morales before turning back.
Carson came home from a wedding in a suit – and his girlfriend Claudia posted a picture of them smiling at the wedding hours before the tragedy.
Carson was filmed stabbing the attacker several times in the chest before delivering the first knife blow.
At one point, the suspect asks, “What the hell are you looking at?” before violently stabbing Carson in the chest. At the end of the video, his girlfriend could be heard shockingly screaming “Brian!” as the attacker fled the scene.
Ryan Carson came home from a wedding – and his girlfriend Claudia posted a picture of them smiling together just hours before the tragedy. They wear the same outfits as in the security footage
The shocking attack was captured on surveillance footage and ended with the horrifying scenes of Carson lying on the ground after being stabbed before his attacker fled the scene
A neighbor outside the home today said he believed Brian was under the influence of drugs, while some questioned why Carson engaged in a conversation with Dowling.
“I watched the video this morning and it makes me sick. I was on that corner, but definitely not at 3:45 in the morning. I know it better.
“I feel sad and bad, but I definitely wouldn’t have intervened in such a situation if I only knew what was happening in the neighborhood.”
“People tell you — those born and raised in the area — just don’t make eye contact with people, especially at 3:45 in the morning.”
“I would have walked across the street,” Sarah Walker, 31, said.
In response to the murder, friends of the slain Brooklyn social justice activist have raised over $68,000 to help the group “take time off from work to grieve appropriately.”
Detectives outside the suspect’s Brooklyn home Thursday morning. was there when they executed the search warrant
Carson’s girlfriend held him in her arms before he was taken to Kings County Hospital Center, where he later died
Investigators seized evidence, including the sweatshirt worn during the attack and the knife used, from 18-year-old Brian Dowling’s home
Evidence bags will be brought to the 81st Precinct on Thursday
A “collective of Ryan’s close friends” who described themselves as “working class people” launched the fundraiser following the activist’s tragic death.
As they are still “reeling from a brutal loss,” the GoFundMe is asking for donations to “ease the burden and stress of this terrible situation so that we have space and time to grieve and remember Ryan.”
“The immediate need is to offset the costs of working-class people taking time off from work to grieve appropriately,” the site continues.
In response to her request for paid leave, a group of friends added a touching tribute highlighting Carson’s commitment to left-wing social causes.
“If you Google ‘Ryan Carson,’ you will learn about (and now see) the tragedy that occurred early Monday morning,” the fundraiser said.
“But if you look beyond the breaking news, you will see news of his legislative victories, you will likely find his social media accounts full of thoughts and memories, and you will find collections of his past artistic works.”
“We hope you find his thoughts on mutual aid and advocacy and understand that his radical principles of community care, justice and dismantling an individualized, for-profit way of life are worth pursuing in our own communities.”
“It is this time of remembrance and healing that is thought-provoking.”