Suspect Arrested in Fatal Stabbing of N.Y. Social Justice Advocate in Front of Girlfriend: Reports

Ryan Carson, 32, was killed in Brooklyn, N.Y., early Monday morning in an unprovoked attack while waiting at a bus stop, say police

Police have arrested a suspect in the fatal stabbing of New York City activist Ryan Carson, who was killed in front of his girlfriend early Monday in Brooklyn, N.Y., sources told multiple news outlets.

On Thursday, a suspect was taken into custody at the 81^st Precinct in New York City where he is being questioned, CBS News, Fox 5 NY, and the New York Daily News report.

The suspect is 18 years old, the New York Daily News reports.

On Tuesday, the NYPD released a photo of the suspect wearing a black Champion hoodie; the NYPD asked for the public’s help identifying him.

Police have not yet released the suspect’s name. Charges are pending.

On Monday, at about 4 a.m. Carson, 32, and his girlfriend were seen on surveillance video waiting at a bus stop on Malcolm X Boulevard in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn when a man approached them, police sources told CBS News.

The assailant asked, “What are you looking at?” before stabbing Carson in the chest multiple times, CBS News reports, citing police sources.

Carson stepped between the assailant and his girlfriend, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday, ABC News reports.

Carson’s girlfriend was not injured in the attack.

Related: N.Y. Social Justice Advocate Is Stabbed to Death on Street in Front of His Girlfriend

Carson was a longtime campaign organizer for New York Public Research Group whose work recently focused on improving recycling and solid waste management. The organization issued a statement after his killing, saying, in part, "Ryan was a beloved staffer, colleague and friend, and a creative, talented, relentless and upbeat advocate for students and the environment. His engaging personality, hearty laugh and wide-ranging intelligence were keys to his success in advancing the causes he deeply cared about in his work and personal life."

On Monday night, more than 100 people gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor Carson's life, News 12 reported. Those in attendance said he and his girlfriend had left a wedding and were heading home before the stabbing, per the outlet.

"You know it’s hard when the person you go to to talk about grief is the one who died," State Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, a friend of Carson's, told News 12. "It’s been really difficult to comprehend," she added.

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“I’m horrified to learn of the brutal murder of advocate Ryan Carson in Brooklyn today,” New York City Council Member Chi Ossé wrote on X (formerly Twitter.) “This tireless defender of his neighbors was stolen from us. Committed to ending this senseless violence, my heart is with his family.”

The New York Communities for Change community organization described the social justice advocate on X as “a wonderful advocate and ally” who was “taken too soon.”

In 2021, Carson walked from New York City to Albany to lobby for safe injection facilities and raised more than $20,000 for the cause, according to a GoFundMe page he launched.

Blair Horner, Carson's boss at NYPIRG, told ABC 7 that his killing was "incredibly tragic."

“A life full of promise is snuffed out," she added. "And the world is a worse place for it and we'll miss him dearly.”

The NYPD did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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