Fatal stabbing of dancer at Brooklyn gas station being investigated as possible hate crime, police say

The fatal stabbing of a New York City dancer is being investigated as a possible hate crime, police sources said on Tuesday. 

Shortly before midnight on July 29, the NYPD received a call regarding a stabbing at a Brooklyn gas station, police said. 

When officers arrived, they found 28-year-old O'Shae Sibley with a stab wound to his torso. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. 

No arrests have been made, but police sources told WCBS on Tuesday that the NYPD has identified a suspect and the incident is being investigated as a possible hate crime. 

Surveillance footage from the gas station shows Sibley and his friends getting into an argument with a group of men as well as the commotion surrounding Sibley's stabbing.

Witnesses said Sibley and his friends were dancing and voguing when a man walked up to them and allegedly made homophobic comments, CBS New York reported. 

Sibley's untimely death has shocked his family and friends.

"I'm still in shock. Each time I hear the door, I keep looking for O'Shae to come out," neighbor Beckenbaur Hamilton told CBS New York.

The 28-year-old was known to dance outside with his friends. 

"They were dancing. They were filling up on gas, but they were voguing, doing crazy, I can promise you," Hamilton said."I wasn't there, but I can tell you just from what I saw that's just how they are. He comes out here and stops the music and just starts dancing and voguing and carrying on."

In a Facebook Live video, Otis Pena said that he was friends with Sibley and witnessed the stabbing. "They killed my brother right in front of me," he said. 

"Just pumping gas and listening to 'Renaissance' and just having a good time. Y'all killed O'Shae," Pena said through tears, referring to Beyoncé's latest album.

Tributes have poured in for Sibley all over social media, particularly from the Black queer community, which is condemning the potentially homophobic attack. 

His untimely death even caught the attention of Beyoncé, who posted a tribute to the dancer on her website Tuesday.

"Rest in power O'Shae Sibley," the singer wrote. 

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