Beyonce Honors Dancer Who Was Fatally Stabbed While Dancing to Her Music
Beyoncé is spotlighting a beloved dancer after his tragic death.
O'Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old choreographer, was dancing and vogueing to the Grammy winner's music while at a Brooklyn gas station July 29 when he was confronted by a group of men who wanted him to stop, witnesses told NBC News.
A witness told NBC New York that after "a few fights and back and forth arguing," one of the men "pulled out a knife and stabbed him" in the torso. Authorities are investigating the incident, per NBC News, as a possible hate crime.
Shortly after his passing, Beyoncé updated her website's homepage to include a message in his honor that read, "Rest in Power O' Shae Sibley."
A friend of Sibley's, Otis Pena, said he witnessed the stabbing and reflected on the heartbreaking situation at hand.
"They murdered him because he's gay, because he stood up for his friends," Pena said in a video shared to Facebook July 30. "His name was O'Shae, and you all killed him. You all murdered him right in front of me."
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Philadanco!, a Philadelphia dance company, also paid tribute to Sibley, noting that he was enrolled as a student since he was a teenager and also served as an apprentice.
"This news is absolutely heartbreaking and we believe no one deserves to be targeted for simply being themselves and living in their truth," the company wrote in an Aug. 1 Facebook post. "We are keeping high hopes that Justice will be served. He will be missed dearly. We ask that you also keep his Family and loved ones in your Prayers."
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams also spoke out about Sibley's death during a press conference.
"Now, you have an incident like we saw over the weekend with this young man who was experiencing that hate crime, and we will find the person responsible," he said on July 31. "It shakes our confidence when you have someone that randomly assaults someone, who could have a real mental health issue, on the streets. It shakes your confidence."
Authorities are looking for a 17-year-old suspect who fled the scene in a black SUV, according to NBC New York, who cited law enforcement sources. The New York City Police Department confirmed in a statement to E! News that the investigation is ongoing.
(E! and NBC News are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
