Source: Courtesy of / Kemar Jewel
New York City-based dancer O’Shae Sibley is being mourned after an assailant fatally stabbed him in the torso, alleged for dancing to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album July 29.
The tragic incident happened at a Mobil gas station on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn around 11 p.m. In video footage of the incident, Sibley, 28, and his friends were shirtless and seen in a heated back and forth with another group that came out of the gas station.
Sibley had reportedly been dancing in the parking lot close to where the car he rode in with friends was pumped with gas. An alleged teen boy wearing a black top and shorts who stepped out of the gas station supposedly told Sibley to stop dancing and said, “I’m Muslim,” according to ABC News.
The teen and his group allegedly yelled homophobic slurs at Sibley and his friends. The incident between the two groups tragically ended in Sibley’s stabbing — and a teen in the footage who wore red shorts is considered the suspect, detailed NBC News. Despite the first aid his friends rendered on the scene and subsequent medical attention, the late dancer was pronounced dead at Maimonides Medical Center.
Sibley’s friend, Otis Pena, said their group was celebrating his birthday and had plans to enjoy their festivities at his home — only two blocks from the gas station.
“They killed him right in front of me. I’m covered in his blood. I was holding his stab wounds,” Pena said in a video shared on Facebook. “I was trying to put pressure on the wound, and there was blood squirting everywhere … They killed him right in my arms.”
“They murdered him because he’s gay because he stood up for his friends,” Pena added.
Beyoncé shared a tribute on her website dedicated to Sibley August 1.
The singer’s 2022 album, Renaissance, pulled inspiration heavily from LGBTQIA+ aesthetics and things developed in that community, such as voguing and ballroom culture.
Beyoncé’s tribute to the late 28-year-old dancer said, “Rest in Power, O’Shae Sibley.”
New York Mayor Eric Adams referred to Sibley’s murder as a “hate crime” during a press conference July 31, according to The Independent. The dancer’s grieving father, Jake Kelly, shared the same sentiment on a GoFundMe page created to raise money for Sibley’s homegoing service.
Kelly called Sibley’s murder an “untimely and undeserved hate crime incident that cut my son’s life down just because of his sexual preference.”
The bereaved father explained that Sibley was a beacon of light for those around him. Kelly said the 28-year-old was in his prime, the glue of his family, and a longtime lover of dance and performing.
“His spirit lit up every room he stepped in. His smile was contagious! To know him, was to live him. He did not deserve this. Everyone loved his spirit â¤ï¸.”
The GoFundMe has raised over $35,000 of its $10,000 goal since Kelly shared it July 31.
Sibley was a beloved and talented member of the Ailey Extension dance company.
The organization said Sibley “had incredible energy in the studio and was loved by instructors and fellow students.”
“We are shocked and heartbroken that O’Shae’s life has been taken by senseless violence, and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”
A vigil for Sibley is scheduled for August 5.
Authorities are looking into the murder as a hate crime. Anyone with information on the late dancer’s death or the suspect is asked to contact the NYPD via the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
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