17-year-old surrenders to police in connection with O'Shae Sibley's death

Angelina Velasquez
·2 min read
O’Shae Sibley
O’Shae Sibley

A male teenager has turned himself in in connection with the fatal stabbing of O’Shae Sibley. The 17-year-old, who has a history of arrests, surrendered to police in New York City on Friday (Aug. 4).

He is charged with murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, according to ABC News. The teen’s identity has not been made public, and his records have been sealed due to his status as a juvenile. According to the outlet, the Brooklyn district attorney may pursue additional charges. As previously reported, Sibley, a 28-year-old Black gay man, was fatally stabbed in the torso at a gas station just before midnight on July 29.

Sibley and a group of his friends were voguing to Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE album as they fueled their car. A group of unprovoked men allegedly confronted the professional choreographer and his friends, calling them homophobic slurs and demanding they stop dancing. Tensions escalated when the group refused. Sibley was injured at some point during the encounter. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The following day (July 30), Otis Pena, Sibley’s friend who was present at the tragic scene, spoke out in two separate Facebook posts. In the first, he wrote, “They hated us ’cause we are gay! Screaming, ‘We Muslim, and we don’t like gays,’ as we are innocently pumping gas, and y’all decided to stab one of us!” He accompanied it with a photo of his slain friend’s blood on the pavement. The second post read, “We were VOGUING! Innocently voguing just two blocks from being dropped off at my house pumping gas!”

The beloved dancer’s death has sparked outrage across social media from people condemning homophobia. On Friday, several memorials took place at gas stations, with members of the LGBTQ+ community gathering to dance and vogue in his honor. Beyoncé also paid tribute to The Philadanco Dance Company performer on her website, writing, “Rest in power, O’Shae Sibley.”

A “homegoing celebration finale” is scheduled for Tuesday (Aug. 8) at The Met Philadelphia. A public viewing will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and a service will promptly follow afterward.

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