A dancer is fatally stabbed after a confrontation in New York, prompting a tribute from Beyoncé

NEW YORK – The deadly stabbing of a homosexual man after a confrontation between a gaggle of pals who have been dancing to a Beyoncé music and younger males who apparently took offense has outraged New York Metropolis’s LGBTQ neighborhood and spurred Beyoncé herself to submit a tribute on her web site.

No arrests have been made in Saturday’s stabbing of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old skilled dancer, at a Brooklyn fuel station.

Police have launched few particulars on the investigation and have not mentioned a motive, however a buddy who was there, Otis Pena, stated in an emotional Fb video that Sibley died “because he stood up for his friends.”

Sibley carried out with the dance firm Philadanco in his native Philadelphia and in New York. He used dance to have fun his LGBTQ identification in works equivalent to “ Soft: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men,” choreographed by Kemar Jewel.

Sibley took lessons with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program, whose director, Lisa Johnson-Willingham, stated in a press release, “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.”

Sibley was at a Mobil station in Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood with pals getting fuel, listening to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album “and just having a good time,” Pena stated in his video.

Information experiences have broadly described Sibley as having been stabbed whereas dancing, however safety digicam video exhibits a extra advanced scenario.

The video, obtained by a number of information organizations, exhibits a few of the males in Sibley’s group doing a dance-like strut by their automotive, shirtless in bathing fits. A short while later, Sibley walks to the fuel station’s comfort retailer and begins talking with a younger man, who appears agitated. As they discuss, a small crowd gathers.

Sibley’s pals be part of him and the group argues with the individual for about two minutes. Then, either side stroll away. Sibley and his pals return to their automotive. Everybody else goes contained in the fuel station’s comfort retailer aside from one one that stays exterior recording along with his telephone.

Sibley is about to get right into a automotive when he and a buddy freeze, then briskly stride again towards the individual with the telephone as if he had stated one thing that angered them.

The younger man, who appears like he may very well be in his teenagers, retreats, strolling backward as Sibley advances. A person comes out of the comfort retailer and steps between them. Then, Sibley lunges across the man on the teen, who leaps backward. Each figures transfer out of view of the digicam.

It isn’t clear from the video when Sibley is stabbed or who wields the knife. A second later he walks again into view wanting shocked and checking his facet.

Sibley was taken to a close-by hospital, the place he died.

A witness, Summy Ullah, advised the Each day Information the younger males had been harassing Sibley’s group as a result of their conduct offended them.

“They were saying, ‘Oh, we’re Muslim, so don’t do this in front of me,’” stated Ullah, 32.

Ullah added, “Nothing else was going on. They were only dancing.” He stated somebody requested, “Why are you dancing in your underwear?”

In his video, posted hours after Sibley’s death, Pena choked back tears while recalling the stabbing of the man he called “the salt to my pepper, the peanut butter to my jelly.”

“They murdered him because he was gay,” he said.

A “Justice for O’Shae Sibley” memorial is planned Friday at the Mobil station, and a vigil is planned on Saturday at Manhattan’s LGBTQ Community Center. A celebration of life ceremony will take place Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Beyoncé’s website now flashes the message “Rest in power O’Shae Sibley.”