Lawyer says murder suspect accused of stabbing far-left activist in Brooklyn is a 'great kid'

The lawyer for the suspect accused of stabbing a leftist activist to death in New York City on Monday said his client is a "great kid" who just has "anger issues."

Brian Dowling, 18, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Ryan Carson, 31, while he was sitting at a bus stop with his girlfriend in Brooklyn.

Dowling's attorney, Kenneth Montgomery, told Fox News: "It’s pretty clear when you look at the video, he wasn't out there looking for trouble but was in the middle of an episode, and in that episode, things unfolded."
 

"That person had anger issues, and it spilled into something else," he continued. "I do know this young man comes from a good family, and I can’t imagine him not being remorseful for something like this if the facts are what they say they are [and he did this]. He is a great kid but clearly may have some mental health issues."

Video surveillance footage captured the brutal stabbing which allegedly shows Dowling stabbing Carson to death at random and then spitting in the face of Carson's girlfriend, Claudia Morales.

According to the video, Dowling walks past the couple as they sit at the bus stop. Dowling crosses the street, wanders half a block down the block, and then starts kicking over scooters in the street. He turns around and approaches the couple, in which Carson and Morales begin walking in the same direction towards Dowling.

A confrontation ensues, wherein Carson puts up his hands and seems to attempt to dispel the tension. Dowling gets closer to him, and Carson pushes him off. The surveillance footage cuts to after the stabbing, with Carson on the ground and his girlfriend standing by him. Dowling makes a motion toward Morales before leaving the scene.

Montgomery argued during Dowling's arraignment that his client has no criminal record, isn't a flight risk, and should qualify for bail, although that request was denied by Judge Joshua Glick.

Carson, who was a prominent far-left activist and poet in New York City, was remembered by friends and Democrat lawmakers for his acts of "kindness," but unearthed posts on social media reveal that Carson celebrated the death of conservatives, advocated for violence against police, violently threatened elected officials, and dedicated his life to abolishing law enforcement.

His death received nationwide attention not only because Carson was a prominent activist, but also because of how his girlfriend, Claudia V. Morales, responded to his death.

Morales, an Antifa-affiliated anti-police activist, was with Carson during the fatal stabbing and allegedly refused to give the suspect description to police because the assailant was black.

In addition, friends of Ryan Carson said that he would have had sympathy for the man who fatally attacked him and would have wanted his killing to be used to further left-wing policies in the city.