Man convicted of hate crime over fatal stabbing of dancer, O’Shae Sibley

A New York man has been convicted of a homophobic hate crime over the killing of a Black gay dancer who was stabbed while voguing to Beyoncé music with friends.

Dmitriy Popov, 20, was found guilty by a jury in Brooklyn of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, as well as charges including menacing, aggravated harassment and weapons possession, in the death of 28-year-old O’Shae Sibley.

The case, which has been closely followed within LGBTQ+ communities, centres on a fatal incident in July 2023, when Sibley and a group of friends were dancing at a petrol station in Brooklyn after a day at the beach.

According to prosecutors, the group had been voguing to Beyoncé when they were confronted by Popov and two others. The men allegedly directed homophobic and racist abuse at the group, telling them to stop.

Court proceedings heard that Sibley attempted to defuse the situation, telling those involved they were “just having a good time” and had the same right to be there as anyone else.

However, prosecutors said tensions escalated, with Popov continuing to antagonise the group. During the confrontation, he allegedly produced a knife and threatened one of Sibley’s friends before stabbing Sibley in the heart.

The dancer was taken to hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the killing had devastated both Sibley’s loved ones and the wider LGBTQ+ community.

“O’Shae Sibley moved to New York to pursue his dream of being a dancer and choreographer, and his life was cut short when he was killed by this defendant, who couldn’t stand the sight of O’Shae and his friends just being themselves and living their lives openly as Black gay men,” he said.

Gonzalez added that the verdict, delivered during Pride Month, would help bring “some measure of solace” to Sibley’s family, friends and community.

Popov is due to be sentenced on 30 June and faces up to 25 years in prison.