Ryan Carson stabbing death: Surveillance video shows person of interest police are searching for
Editor's note: A suspect is now in custody in Ryan Carson's killing, sources tell CBS New York.
NEW YORK -- The NYPD has released new information about the fatal stabbing of an activist in Brooklyn.
Officers are searching for a person of interest.
Police may be getting one step closer to figuring out who killed 32-year-old Ryan Carson. They now have a better idea of what happened in the moments leading up to this fatal stabbing.
In surveillance video, Carson and his girlfriend are seen sitting on a bench at a bus stop on Malcolm X Boulevard around 4 a.m. Monday in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Police said a male wearing a Champion brand hoodie walks past the couple. There is no interaction between them.
Moments later, the couple starts walking, and investigators say the man in the hoodie started kicking mopeds and scooters on the sidewalk, then turned to Carson and said, "What are you looking at?"
"Mr. Carson begins to immediately try to de-escalate the situation," NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
That's when police say the suspect pulled out a knife and swung at him. Carson is seen tripping and falling to the ground, and the assailant stabs him three times, piercing his heart.
"As Mr. Carson lay dying on the sidewalk, the male with the knife kicks him in the chest, threatens to stab the woman companion and spits in her face," Kenny said.
Moments later, a woman is seen walking over, apologizing to the couple and referring to the assailant as "Brian." Police say the assailant had been arguing with the unidentified woman before attacking Carson. They do not believe the assailant knew Carson or his girlfriend.
Carson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Watch Hannah Kliger's report
Loved ones held a vigil at the scene on Monday night, just steps away from the home he shared with his roommates. Many remembered him for his sense of purpose and his desire to help others.
Carson was known for his activism against opioid overdoses. Over last decade, he worked at New York Public Interest Research Group, most recently dealing with recycling and solid waste. Previously, Carson advocated for safe injection facilities.
"Whenever you work with Ryan on an issue, as a colleague, you quickly become a friend because he was such a warm, endearing and fun guy to be around," said Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics.
Tributes have been pouring in by candlelight and by post. Mayor Eric Adams wrote Carson "turned his passion into purpose," and Sen. Chuck Schumer described him as "a rising talent and an extraordinary activist."
"If you wanted to talk, he was absolutely always ready to talk, always there for you," said New York Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher, who bonded with Carson over losing friends to drug overdoses. "It's hard when the person that you go to to talk about grief is the one who died."
"It has been very hard on everyone that knew him. Everybody loves him here," said Blair Horner, executive director of NYPIRG.
"He had a really big heart. He just cared for people, and I was just so excited about his future. He's the next generation of environmental leaders," Enck said. "He's just someone who will be with us even though he's been taken."
Back at the bus stop where the violence unfolded, straphangers were on edge on Wednesday.
"It frightens me because I have children that travel back and forth for college and work at late hours of the night," said Suzanne Gailliez of Bushwick.
Police said Wednesday they have a person of interest they are searching for.
"We would never call someone out as being a criminal until we have established probable cause to make an arrest," an NYPD official said.
Police said they received several leads that brought them to the person of interest.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.