Family friend of Brooklyn knifing suspect Brian Dowling, 18, says he ‘can’t think of what triggered him to go that way’ – as cops charge shackled teen with murder for unprovoked 4am attack on Ryan Thoresen Carson

Relatives of a Brooklyn teen who fatally stabbed a man waiting for a bus in the early hours of Monday have said they cannot understand why the 18-year-old picked up a knife while a family friend committed the murder. a terrible tragedy’. .

Brian Dowling, 18, was arrested Thursday at his family’s home in Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood.

He has been charged with the murder of 32-year-old Ryan Thoresen Carson, a community activist, who was waiting for a bus nearby with his girlfriend after a wedding when he was killed.

The killing, at 3:45 a.m., was captured on surveillance camera footage and shows Dowling confronting Carson, then chasing him and stabbing him in the chest.

Brian Dowling Sr told DailyMail.com he could not explain his son’s actions.

‘Let’s be honest. What can I really tell you. I can’t tell you,” he said, speaking outside the brownstone where the family lives, which he inherited from his father.

With the historically black neighborhood rapidly gentrifying, the property is now worth more than $1.25 million, although it is unclear whether the Dowlings own or rent it.

Eric Riddick, a close friend of Dowling’s father Brian Sr., said the Dowlings were “a good family,” adding that he had been friends with them for more than 35 years and was Brian Sr.’s best man.

“It’s a terrible tragedy because the son comes from a good family,” Riddick told DailyMail.com.

“I can’t think of anything I can say about why he went that way, or what made him go that way.

‘The boy is only 18 years old. And I really sympathize with the victim’s family.’

Riddick said he wanted the court to order a psychiatric evaluation.

“I want them to check his mental status,” Riddick said.

‘This was not the norm. He’s a teenager.’

The teen was a twin and his sister Breanna was with him when he attacked Carson.

Friends of Breanna Dowling, who arrived at the family home on Thursday, told DailyMail.com they were ‘shocked’ and said Dowling was having mental problems.

Riddick said Dowling was his friend’s only son, adding, “I was with him when his children were born: Brian and Breanna.

“I can’t imagine – and it happened right down the street, and it was so close to home.”

Riddick said it was “a bad situation” but insisted Dowling was not a troublemaker.

“He wasn’t the type of kid to follow,” Riddick said.

‘He kept to himself and was quiet. He never had a fight.’

Riddick said Dowling Sr was a musician before his children were born, explaining: “We come from music history.

‘We made records. We DJ and make songs. Divine sounds. The father is part of the group.

“These records were taken before the son was born.”

Carson, the victim, was a social justice advocate. He led liberal causes, such as creating supervised drug injection sites in the city, and was a passionate environmentalist.

His girlfriend, according to now-closed social media profiles, was an ardent BLM activist who was highly critical of police and used the slur “ACAB” in messages.

Their friends say he would view his killer as a “victim of a broken system” and would want his death to be used to continue advocating for social justice.

On Wednesday, friends set up a GoFundMe account for Carson’s girlfriend. So far they have raised $60,000.

It remains unclear what prompted Dowling to attack.

In the video, he was seen walking past Carson before turning back.

Carson was filmed pushing him in the chest several times before the first knife hit.

At the end of the video, an unknown woman shouted “Brian!” as he fled the scene.

A neighbor outside the home said they believed Dowling was under the influence of drugs, while some wondered why Carson was having a conversation with Dowling.

‘I watched the video this morning, it makes me sick. I’ve been to that corner, but definitely not at 3:45 in the morning. I know better,” said Sarah Walker, 31.

‘I feel sad and bad, but I certainly wouldn’t have intervened in such a situation if I knew what was happening in the neighborhood.

‘People tell you – who were born and raised in the area – not to make eye contact with people, especially at 3:30 in the morning.

“I would have crossed the street.”