Person in connection with dancer’s stabbing death at Brooklyn gas station is in custody, police say

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Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the stabbing death of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old gay professional dancer. The incident occurred at a Brooklyn gas station after a confrontation between a group of friends dancing to a Beyoncé song and several young men who taunted them. The New York City Police Department has not disclosed the suspect’s identity but referred to them as a “person of interest.”

Sibley and his friends were at a Mobil station, dancing and listening to music shirtless on a hot night when they were heckled by the group of young men, who claimed offense to their behavior as Muslims. Security camera footage captured an argument between the two groups, during which Sibley and a friend confronted one of the young men. The situation escalated, and Sibley was seen lunging at the teen before both of them disappeared out of the camera’s view. Moments later, Sibley reappeared, checking his side, and then collapsed to the sidewalk, having been fatally stabbed in the torso.

The death of O’Shae Sibley has deeply affected New York City’s LGBTQ+ community and received tributes from celebrities such as Beyoncé and Spike Lee. Some witnesses, including Sibley’s friend Otis Pena, believe that he was targeted and killed because he was gay and stood up for his friends.

Sibley was a talented dancer who performed with the Philadanco dance company in Philadelphia and took classes with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program in New York.

Mayor Eric Adams has vowed to seek justice for O’Shae’s family and loved ones, condemning the incident as an act of homophobia and emphasizing that bigotry has no place in the city.

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• “Person in custody in connection with dancer’s stabbing death at Brooklyn gas station, police say” (CNN)
• “O’Shae Sibley: New York City’s LGBTQ+ community mourns death of gay dancer” (BBC News)
• “Beyoncé and Spike Lee pay tribute to O’Shae Sibley after fatal stabbing” (The Guardian)
• “Security camera video captures moments leading to O’Shae Sibley’s stabbing” (ABC News)
• “Mayor Eric Adams promises justice for O’Shae Sibley’s family and loved ones” (NBC New York)