New York left-wing activist, poet stabbed to death at Brooklyn bus stop by unhinged stranger

A stabbing took place early Monday morning in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, claiming the life of poet and far-left activist Ryan Carson. The 32-year-old was walking down the sidewalk with his girlfriend when he was attacked by a stranger.

A video emerged of the incident. It shows the couple sitting on a bench on the sidewalk when a man walks past them in a black hoodie. The man crosses the street, walks half a block down, then begins kicking over scooters in the street. The couple rise and walk in the same direction, when the man turns around and approaches the couple. The couple continued walking toward him.

A confrontation ensues, wherein Carson puts up his hands and seems to attempt to dispel the tension. The man 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. The attacker makes a motion toward her, as well, before moving off.

Carson was rushed to the nearby Kings County Hospital Center, but succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, is still at large. Witnesses reported that he had been acting erratically prior to carrying out the murder, pushing over scooters and causing a scene.

According to the New York Post, the incident took place shortly before 4 am on Monday at the Lafayette Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard B38 bus stop.

The man reportedly said "What are you looking at?" before proceeding to stab Carson in the chest multiple times.

Carson was the senior solid waste campaign director at the nonprofit New York Public Interest Research Group. He also advocated for safe injection sites across New York. "I’m passionate about safe injection facilities because I’ve seen family members become addicted to opioids prescribed for pain caused by their occupations,” Carson said in 2021. "I’ve lost friends and family to the opioid epidemic, including my best friend, who died of a heroin overdose in 2016."

Tributes for Carson quickly poured in from across the activist community. "One of the rising stars in our organization," said Blair Horner, the executive director of NYPIRG. "Wonderful person, hardworking, loud boisterous laugh. Everybody loved him."

"Our team was devastated to hear of Ryan Carson's passing today," NY Council Member Sandy Nurse posted on X. "Ryan was a dedicated environmental advocate who worked tirelessly to protect our communities and ecosystems from the climate crisis. I send my condolences to all of his family and loved ones who are grieving."

In an interview with the Post, Carson's roommate Tom Krantz described him as "someone who worked piously to help make this city a better place," pointing out that he was "the epicenter of an entire community that he created."

Carson was originally from Massachusetts, but came to New York in 2010 and made a home for himself in Bed-Stuy. He quickly made a name for himself in activist circles.

In 2021, he and his team from No Overdose New York walked from the Big Apple to Buffalo, stopping in communities along the way to raise awareness about the opioid crisis. In Albany, he stood outside the state capitol and slammed then-governor Andrew Cuomo for failing to fulfill a promise he'd made to create overdose prevention centers.

In addition to being an activist, Carson was a published poet. One of his more well-known pieces focused on death, but rather than lamenting the impact it would have on him, he expressed concern that those he loved would be hurt most.

This story has been updated with a video of the incident and additional information reflected therein.