Beyonce has paid tribute after a man who was dancing to her songs was stabbed to death in New York.
“Rest in power O’Shae Sibley” appear on the American singer-songwriter’s website following the death of the 28-year-old professional dancer at a petrol station in Brooklyn.
Mr Sibley was listening and dancing to Beyonce’s 2022 album Renaissance with a group of friends when a heated discussion broke out with a young man.
Security camera footage shows Mr Sibley and his friends speaking with the man and then pausing whilst getting into a car. Mr Sibley then advances towards the man.
The dancer was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
It is not clear from the footage when the stabbing took place or who carried the weapon.
The incident sparked anger among New York’s LGBTQ+ community.
One of Mr Sibley’s friends, Otis Pena, who was present at the time of his death, claiming in a video posted online that “they murdered him because he was gay”.
Witness Summy Ullah told the Daily News the young men had been harassing Mr Sibley and his friends because their behaviour offended them.
The petrol station where O’Shae Sibley was stabbed to death. Pic: AP
Detectives have released few details about the incident, but it is being investigated by a hate crime task force within the New York Police Department, according to NBC.
Eric Adams, the mayor of New York said the stabbing has shaken people’s confidence, adding that they “will find the person responsible”.
Lisa Johnson-Willingham, director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre’s Ailey Extension programme – where Mr Sibley took classes – added that he had been taken “by senseless violence” and they are “shocked and heartbroken” by his death.
Mr Sibley’s death follows a surge in anti-LGBTQ demonstrations across the nation within the last year – an average of 39 took place across the US each month, according to a recent report by research group the Crowd Counting Consortium.
A memorial for Mr Sibley will take place at the petrol station later today, and a vigil is expected to take place at Manhattan’s LGBTQ Community Centre.
