Teen charged with hate crime in death of dancer in New York City

(Reuters) – A 17-year-old male has been charged with murder as a hate crime in the stabbing death in New York City of a man who was dancing at a gas station when confronted by a group hurling anti-gay and anti-Black slurs, a police official said on Saturday.

The death on July 29 of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer who was dancing to a Beyonce song when confronted by the suspect, outraged the LGBT community and prompted Beyonce and film director Spike Lee to pay tribute to him.

Sibley was dancing with friends while refueling their car when they were approached by a group of males who demanded they stop dancing and made homophobic and anti-Black statements, New York Police Assistant Chief Joe Kenny told a news conference.

Kenny said the suspect, who was not named, is a Brooklyn resident who surrendered to police on Friday. He was charged with murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, Kenny said.

The suspect is the only person that has been charged in the case, Kenny said.

Beyonce wrote “Rest in Power O’Shae Sibley” on her website and Lee on Instagram said: “Deadly Hate Crime Here in Brooklyn. God Bless You Brother.”

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