O’Shae Sibley, a professional dancer who was 28 years old, was honoured by Beyoncé. Sibley was fatally stabbed at a Brooklyn petrol station while grooving to her music, and police are reportedly investigating the incident as an anti-gay hate crime.
On Beyoncé’s official website, a big message with the words “REST IN POWER O’SHAE SIBLEY” can be seen. On Saturday night, Sibley was vogueing at the petrol station while listening to a Beyoncé song.
Sibley’s buddy Otis Pena described the incident on Facebook Live. “A group of men approached Sibley as he danced with friends and started to shout gay slurs at the group,” Pena said.
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A dispute resulted from the insults, an NYPD spokesperson told CNN.
According to Pena, who saw the incident and applied pressure to Sibley’s wound, the dispute became more heated and a man stabbed Sibley.
A person with knowledge of the inquiry told CNN that police are looking for a 17-year-old they suspect was responsible for the stabbing death of the Brooklyn guy.
According to the website of the prestigious Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts in New York City, Sibley was a professional dancer who appeared in various music videos and had performances there.
A state senator from New York named Brad Hoylman-Sigal tweeted about the incident on Monday, calling himself “heartbroken and enraged” to hear of Sibley’s passing.
“Despite the greatest efforts of homophobes, gay joy is not illegal. Attacks motivated by hatred are,” the gay senator tweeted.