A 28-year-old Black gay man was fatally stabbed after dancing to a Beyoncé song at a New York gas station, leading an investigation to determine whether his death was a hate crime.
O’Shae Sibley, a professional choreographer, danced at a gas station in Brooklyn late Saturday while playing music from Beyoncé when a group of men approached him, witnesses said, according to NBC New York. Witnesses added that the group told him to stop and that Sibley tried to de-escalate the situation before being stabbed in the torso.
Sibley was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, a New York Police Department spokesperson said. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
“The incident is being investigated as a possible biased incident,” the spokesperson told USA TODAY.
Police are looking for a 17-year-old suspect, according to NBC New York.
Otis Pena, one of Sibley’s friends posted a video on Facebook saying he witnessed the stabbing. Pena said he was covered in Sibley’s blood when he was stabbed in the heart two blocks away from Pena’s house. He described Sibley as “the salt to my pepper.”
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“They murdered him because he’s gay, because he stood up for his friends,” Pena said. “His name was O’Shae, and you all killed him. You all murdered him right in front of me.”
Witnesses reported a back and forth alteration between the group of men and Sibley, who started voguing in the style of many LGBTQ ballrooms, according to NBC New York.
“He had a problem with them dancing, he wanted them to stop dancing, he started arguing with them. And then after a few fights and back and forth arguing, he pulled out a knife and stabbed him,” witness Sayeda Haider said.
‘Gay joy is not a crime’
New York City Mayor Eric Adams called Sibley’s death a hate crime when addressing it at a public safety press conference Monday.
“When you have an incident like we saw over the weekend with this young man was experiencing that hate crime, and we will find the person responsible, it shakes our confidence,” Adams said. “When you have someone that randomly assaults someone because they have a real mental health issue on the street, it shakes your confidence.”
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LGBTQ lawmakers have condemned the killing, including state Sen. Brad Holyman-Signal who said he was heartbroken and enraged to hear about Sibley’s death. “Despite homophobes’ best efforts, gay joy is not crime. Hate-fueled attacks are,” Holyman-Signal wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Beyoncé, who paid tribute to the Black queer community in her Grammy-winning “Renaissance” album, shared a message on her website’s home screen.
“REST IN POWER O’SHAE SIBLEY,” the website reads.
