O'Shae Sibley's stabbing death will be prosecuted as a hate crime, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez says
NEW YORK -- The stabbing death of O'Shae Sibley will be prosecuted as a hate crime, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at a news conference late Thursday afternoon.
Gonzalez announced a grand jury voted to indict the 17-year-old high school student arrested in Sibley's death last week for second-degree murder as a hate crime.
"The allegations made against this 17-year-old are of tremendous import to the city and to this country, and I'm assuring the community that we're taking this case very seriously, and we're gonna make sure that justice prevails in this case," Gonzalez said.
On July 29, Sibley and his friends were dancing to Beyoncé while filling their car at a gas station in Midwood when they got into an argument with a group of teenagers who used homophobic slurs and made anti-Black statements, according to NYPD.
Security camera video from the gas station shows both groups walked away when the argument ended, but Sibley returned and crossed a parking lot to confront the 17-year-old recording with his phone.
Sibley, 28, can be seen following the teen and lunging at him. The teen allegedly stabbed Sibley out of view from the cameras, according to NYPD.
"Defending yourself from being an anti-gay or an anti-Black comment and arguing back is not a cause for someone to take a weapon and do what was done in this case," said Gonzalez. "Hate crimes impacts a victim, but it also impacts a community. It robs not just the family, but an entire community of the sense of safety and security."
The 17-year-old is facing additional charges. If convicted of a hate crime, he faces at least 20 years in prison and a maximum of 25 years to life.
He'll be arraigned on Friday.
Sibley moved to New York to pursue his career as a dancer. About 200 people attended his funeral in Philadelphia, where he grew up, on Tuesday.
Watch Alice Gainer's report
Police say another act of violence involving the LGBTQ+ community is now being investigated as a hate crime.
It happened at Willow and Cranberry streets in Brooklyn Heights on the afternoon of Aug. 1.
Police say a 21-year-old was approached by a man who made anti-LGBTQ remarks, then slashed the victim in the hand and took off.
Jordan Gillard lives near the corner and was unsettled by the news.
"That seems so bizarre and terrifying," he said. "That was at, like, broad daylight ... That's just wild."
While police say the two cases are not connected, the similarities of both being anti-gay hate crimes is a cause for concern, and some city leaders are calling for more proactive measures. In a statement, City Councilmember Chi Ossé said, "Homophobia is something that cuts deeply on a personal level, and to witness its most violent form is heartbreaking."