Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Hate-Motivated Murder in LGBTQ Dance Clash
Seventeen-year-old Dmitriy Popov pleaded not guilty to a hate-motivated murder charge in a stabbing incident that followed a clash over men dancing. His lawyer claims that Popov regrets what happened and may argue that he was defending himself.
Popov, who is being charged as an adult, was held without bail after his arraignment for the killing of O’Shae Sibley, a professional dancer. According to prosecutors, the stabbing was fueled by bigotry directed at Sibley and his friends as they danced to a Beyoncé song while refueling at a Brooklyn gas station.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez stated that Sibley, 28, was stabbed after he and a couple of his friends confronted Popov in an effort to protect themselves from anti-gay and anti-Black slurs. The prosecutor emphasized that defending oneself from such comments does not justify resorting to violence.
However, Popov’s lawyer, Mark Pollard, argued that his client did not make any hateful remarks during the confrontation and was backing away when the older, taller men approached. Pollard suggested that they would likely argue self-defense, asserting that Popov had reasonable grounds to believe he needed to protect himself in the situation.
The incident unfolded after Sibley and his friends stopped for gas following a beach outing. One of them began dancing, which prompted Popov and several others to emerge from the gas station’s store, hurling anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ+ slurs at them, telling them to leave. In response, Sibley and his friends explained that they were simply enjoying themselves and had the right to be there, setting off a verbal exchange caught on security camera footage.
After a few minutes, both groups walked away, though one person stayed behind, recording the encounter on their phone. Sibley and two friends returned to confront Popov, with Sibley following as Popov walked toward a sidewalk, out of the camera’s view. Moments later, Sibley reappeared, rushing toward Popov, who evaded him. They disappeared from view again, and a moment later, Sibley reemerged, checking his side, before collapsing to the sidewalk.
Sibley, who hailed from Philadelphia, was laid to rest on Tuesday with around 200 people attending his funeral. His friend Otis Pena described him as a beacon of light for a lot of us in our community. Both politicians and celebrities, including Beyoncé and Spike Lee, have paid tribute to Sibley since his untimely death.
Sibley, known for his performances celebrating LGBTQ+ identity in works such as Soft: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men choreographed by Kemar Jewel, danced with the Philadelphia-based company Philadanco and took classes with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program in New York.
Popov, a high school senior of Russian descent, holds two jobs and attends church, according to his attorney. The relatives of the accused declined to comment on the case as they left court.
