As community members and his attorney paint the teen alleged to have murdered a New York City activist as a “great kid,” the judge reacted to the “narrative.”
After video of social justice advocate Ryan Carson being fatally stabbed at a bus stop in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn went viral, 18-year-old suspect Brian Dowling was arrested Thursday and arraigned on charges of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Speaking with Fox News Digital, attorney Kenneth Montgomery spoke to the case and pushed the notion that the suspect wasn’t “looking for trouble…”
“That person had anger issues, and it spilled into something else,” the lawyer remarked, skating by whether the man in the surveillance video stabbing the victim was his client or not.
“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,” Montgomery continued before adding, “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.”
The attorney was seemingly not alone in efforts to defend Dowling over the allegations as, following his arrest, CBS News had blurred the suspect’s face and claimed they were doing so because “charges are pending.”
CBS blurs face of man accused of murdering left-wing activist: Listen to how reporters talk to the suspect… https://t.co/nMQyA4rW85 via @BIZPACReview
— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) October 6, 2023
Joining in on protecting the character of the suspect alleged to have murdered Carson before spitting in the face of Claudia Morales, the victim’s girlfriend, and fleeing the scene, a former teacher of Dowling spoke with the New York Post.
“He was a respectful young man. So I don’t know what happened,” said Paul Joseph of Brooklyn High School For Leadership and Community Service. “He just graduated — literally walked across the stage.”
Montgomery went on to tell Judge Joshua Glick during the arraignment, “This is a difficult case for several reasons beyond the tragedy of the loss of life. You have an 18-year-old man — young man who has no criminal history.”
“His parents are here and I assure you that there’s no risk of flight, he was arrested at his home,” the attorney contended as he sought “serious bail” for his client.
“I mean there were really no issues — where you can go back and check if there were any kind of problems with him in the past,” Eric Riddick, a friend of Dowling’s father, told the Post before suggesting the young man’s “mental state” should be examined.
Should a juvenile record exist it would be sealed from the public and the newspaper reported that sources indicated Dowling had been issued “three summonses in 2022 — including two for disorderly conduct — and was a robbery victim in 2021…He was also cited in a report related to a July incident in which his aunt claimed he smashed objects in his girlfriend’s apartment after a fight — and described him in a 911 call as mentally disturbed, sources said.”
Despite the attorney’s effort and the opinions shared about Dowling, Glick remanded the suspect “given the nature of the charges and the narrative given by the people.”
Dowling’s next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 11, and as with any suspect, is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. In the meantime, social media ridiculed suggestions that past impressions of the suspect related in any way to the crime he was alleged to have committed.
Oh well for heavens sake let that poor man go then
— The Dank Knight (@capeandcowell) October 6, 2023
None of this is relevant
— The Political Pom (@ThePoliticalPom) October 6, 2023
“He was such a good kid, wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
*shows kindergarten picture*
— ZNO (@RaymondZino) October 6, 2023
And just like that, the killer becomes the victim and no lesson is learned.
— drea- (@drea16895501) October 7, 2023
Mostly peaceful and respectful stabbing and murderer.
— Savannah (@BasedSavannah) October 6, 2023
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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