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 had been dancing to a Beyoncé track 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 gasoline station.

Police have launched few particulars on the investigation and have not mentioned a motive, however a good friend who was there, Otis Pena, stated in an emotional Facebook video that Sibley died “as a result of he stood up for his pals.”

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

Sibley took courses with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program, whose director, Lisa Johnson-Willingham, stated in a press release, “We’re shocked and heartbroken that O’Shae’s life has been taken by mindless violence and lengthen our honest condolences to his household and family members.”

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

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

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

Sibley’s pals be a part of him and the group argues with the particular person for about two minutes. Then, either side stroll away. Sibley and his pals return to their automobile. Everybody else goes contained in the gasoline station’s comfort retailer apart from one one who stays exterior recording along with his cellphone.

Sibley is about to get right into a automobile when he and a good friend freeze, then briskly stride again towards the particular person with the cellphone as if he had stated one thing that angered them.

The younger man, who appears to be like like he could possibly 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 digital camera.

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

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

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

“They had been saying, ‘Oh, we’re Muslim, so don’t do that in entrance of me,’” stated Ullah, 32.

Ullah added, “Nothing else was occurring. They had been solely dancing.” He stated somebody requested, “Why are you dancing in your underwear?”

In his video, posted hours after Sibley’s loss of life, Pena choked again tears whereas recalling the stabbing of the person he known as “the salt to my pepper, the peanut butter to my jelly.”

“They murdered him as a result of he was homosexual,” he stated.

A “Justice for O’Shae Sibley” memorial is deliberate Friday on the Mobil station, and a vigil is deliberate on Saturday at Manhattan’s LGBTQ Group Heart. A celebration of life ceremony will happen Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Beyoncé’s web site now flashes the message “Relaxation in energy O’Shae Sibley.”