Police hunt suspect in social justice advocate’s fatal stabbing case
Police in New York are searching for the man who brutally stabbed a popular community activist in Brooklyn early Monday.
According to reports, 32-year-old Ryan Carson was standing at a bus stop with his girlfriend when they were approached by a man who asked Carson what he was looking at. The man then stabbed him repeatedly in the chest. Carson was later pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.
The shocking and apparently unprovoked attack sparked great sadness among friends and colleagues, who remembered Carson as a tireless advocate for social justice who worked to make the world a better place.
For the last decade, he worked as a campaign manager at the New York Public Interest Research Group, most recently focusing on recycling. He was also committed to it Raising awareness of the opioid crisis and advocated for safe injection sites in 2021 by walking from New York City to Albany, raising more than $20,000 accompanying GoFundMe Campaign.
“I was in complete disbelief,” said New York Assembly member Emily Gallagher, who knew Carson before her political career CBS New York. She added that Carson recently sent reminders of his upcoming birthday, and she said he was someone she could turn to if she needed support.
“If you wanted to talk, he was absolutely always willing to talk, always there for you,” Gallagher said. “It’s hard when the person you go to to talk about grief is the one who died.”
No arrests have been made in connection with Carson’s death. Sources told CBS that police don’t even have a physical description of the suspect, but that the man was behaving irrationally before the attack.
“It’s incredibly tragic,” said Blair Horner, Carson’s boss at the New York Public Interest Research Group ABC7 NY. “A promising life has been snuffed out – and the world is a worse place for it and we will miss him sorely.”
On Monday evening, more than 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil at Herbert Von King Park, across from Carson’s home in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Friends and co-workers also posted online tributes to Carson and his inspiring work.
“I am horrified to learn of the brutal murder of attorney Ryan Carson in Brooklyn today,” said New York City Council Member Chi Ossé Posted on X, formerly Twitter. “This tireless defender of his neighbors was stolen from us. I am determined to put an end to this senseless violence and my heart goes out to his family.”
Ossé’s council colleague Sandy Nurse had a similar experience wrote that she and her team were “devastated” to hear of Carson’s death. “Ryan was a dedicated environmentalist who worked tirelessly to protect our communities and ecosystems from the climate crisis,” Nurse wrote.
The New York community organization Communities for Change named Carson a “wonderful advocate and ally” who was “taken too soon.” The Central University of New York Rising Alliance described him as “a champion of the working class, a dedicated advocate, and a beloved friend and mentor to so many of us.”
“He officially served as a representative of our coalition and worked so hard to advance equality and justice in our state,” the coalition of worker, student and community organizations added his homage. “We celebrate Ryan’s life and will miss him greatly.”
