what to know
- O’Shae Sibley, 28, has worked professionally as a dancer in New York and Philadelphia, and belonged to various dance groups in the region. He was vogueing and dancing to Beyoncé’s music on Saturday night when a group of men approached him and, according to witnesses, told him to stop.
- O’Shae Sibley, 28, has worked professionally as a dancer in New York and Philadelphia, and belonged to various dance groups in the region. He was vogueing and dancing to Beyoncé’s music on Saturday night when a group of men approached him and, according to witnesses, told him to stop.
- The suspect in the stabbing to death of a gay man at a New York City gas station in what many describe as a hate crime turned himself in to authorities last Friday, according to sources.
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn grand jury has indicted the 17-year-old high school student arrested on one count of hate-motivated murder in the fatal stabbing of a professional dancer during an altercation between two groups of friends at a New York City gas station. of New York last month, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Thursday.
The teen turned himself in to authorities Friday in connection with the murder of 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley, who was gay. Authorities declined to release the defendant’s name.
“The death of this young man is tragic and senseless,” González said.
The district attorney went on to explain that the murder will be prosecuted as a homicide and a hate crime. The teen has been charged with one count of second degree murder as a hate crime along with other charges.
The teen faces a minimum of 20 years in prison alone for the second-degree murder charge as a hate crime, and a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.
González went on to say that anti-LGBTQ+ laws enacted across the country have led to an increase in hateful rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community.
Sibley’s case generated much controversy and Beyoncé has commented on it.
“REST IN POWER O’SHAE SIBLEY,” the singer’s website read.
O’Shae Sibley, 28, has worked professionally as a dancer in New York and Philadelphia, and belonged to various dance groups in the region. He was vogueing and dancing to Beyoncé’s music on Saturday night when a group of men approached him and, according to witnesses, told him to stop.
The teenager wanted in connection with the shocking death remains on the run for days. It is unknown if the suspect who turned himself in is this same teenager.
Witnesses have said that the group did not like that Sibley and his friends were dancing and began making derogatory comments about his homosexuality.
Police later said a 17-year-old in a black shirt and red shorts pulled out a knife and stabbed Sibley in the chest. Police say the murder is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
“He had a problem with them dancing, he wanted them to stop dancing, he started arguing with them. And then after some fighting and arguing back and forth, he pulled out a knife and stabbed him,” witness Sayeda Haider said.
In a heartbreaking video posted on Facebook, Otis Peña recounts the final moments of his friend’s life.
“They killed him right in front of me,” Peña said. “I see him staggering and I had to run to him and hold his wound as blood dripped onto my hands, like blood on my clothes.”
“The death of this young man is horrific and really shows the status of being an LGBTQ person in America today,” said Tony Morrison, GLAAD’s senior director of communications.
Morrison said the murder underscores a rise in violence against members of the LGBTQ community across the country.
“We’ve seen bullying, vandalism, and now it manifests itself in physical harm, in this case, death,” Morrison said.
Her friends remember Sibley as a talented professional dancer. She danced with Ailey Extension, which released a statement calling Sibley an “appreciated and devoted participant” of her classes, bringing “incredible energy.”
“O’Shae was a beloved and devoted participant in our Ailey Extension dance class program. He had incredible energy in the studio and was held in high regard by instructors and peers.”
Police sources have identified the suspect as a teenager who is still a fugitive.
There will be a memorial service for Sibley at the LGBT Community Center in the West Village on Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
