Officials said at a news conference on Saturday that the 17-year-old suspect in O’Shea Sibley’s stabbing death has been charged with murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.
The LGBTQ Community Center will organize a memorial and candlelight vigil on Saturday evening in Sibley’s honor. The scene of the professional dancer’s July 29 stabbing death in Midwood, Brooklyn, was decorated with flowers, balloons, and Pride flags. The victim was 28 years old.
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On Saturday, Mayor Eric Adams spoke about the tragedy that occurred at the Mobil gas station on Coney Island Avenue together with officials and advocates. “This is a city where you are free to express yourself, and that expression should never end with any form of violence,” Adams said.
A 17-year-old was arrested on Friday in relation to Sibley’s death; he wasn’t being named because he is a minor. The individual is accused of committing a hate crime by killing someone.
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He is charged with killing Sibley, who was dancing with friends while pumping gas at the station, with a single stab wound. The Muslim teen suspect, according to the police, shouted homophobic and racial remarks.
A gathering was held in Brooklyn on Friday evenings, and many people danced in his honor before marching through the streets. Sibley was a well-known ballroom dancer who belonged to a group that is largely made up of LGBTQ+ people of color.
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Social media users throughout the nation have shown O’Shae and his family an abundance of love; Beyoncé herself posted about Sibley’s passing on her website. The vigil on Saturday will begin at the LGBTQ Community Center and move in a march to Pier 74, which is about 20 minutes away.