NYPD: O'Shae Sibley, 28, stabbed to death in suspected hate crime at Brooklyn gas station
NEW YORK -- Police sources say the NYPD has identified the suspect involved in the deadly gas station stabbing in Brooklyn over the weekend that left a beloved dancer dead.
It's now being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Those who knew O'Shae Sibley were stunned by the senseless crime and the fact that an argument could turn deadly.
Beckenbaur Hamilton lit a candle for his close friend Sibley on Monday.
"It's something to say he was here," Hamilton said.
Sibley, 28, was Hamilton's neighbor for three years. It was a bond that grew into brotherhood.
"I'm still in shock. Each time I hear the door, I keep looking for O'Shae to come out," Hamilton said.
His neighbors said he would always dance outside with his friends, which is what investigators say he was doing before he was killed.
"They were dancing. They were filling up on gas, but they were voguing, doing crazy, I can promise you. 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," Hamilton said.
Sibley was a man known for his dance moves. On Monday, he was mourned by many who believe he was the victim of a hate crime.
"He shows his colors. He's not afraid. But he doesn't go out there and say, 'Oh, I'm this and that.' But as soon as you see him you know that's a proud gay man," Hamilton said.
Surveillance video shows the victim involved in a dispute with a group of people outside the Midwood gas station on Saturday night. Witnesses said they were dancing when a man walked up to them and allegedly made homophobic comments. Police said the two groups of people argued, and that's when one man allegedly stabbed Sibley. One witness, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he tried to break up the argument.
"He pulled out a knife and he just stabbed him and he ran away," the witness said.
Neighbors said Sibley danced in the neighborhood all the time.
"He used to come out here dancing, happy, go to the store happy, walking happy. Everybody ... I found out yesterday. He told me he passed away I said, 'What? I didn't know that.' He was crying when he knocked on my door," a neighbor named Lily said.
A spokesperson for the Ailey Organization, in which Sibley was a participant, said in a statement, in part, "O'Shea had incredible energy in the studio and was loved by instructors and fellow students."
Police say the suspect was last seen wearing a black shirt and red shorts. He is described as a teenager with dark hair.
"Sad. I'm so angry, really angry and that's a life lost over a simple thing. They could have argued and could've talked and just left. They didn't have to bring the violence in," Hamilton said.
Anyone with information about the stabbing is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.