Brooklyn Gas Station Stabbing Trial Begins

BROOKLYN, NY— A Brooklyn jury heard opening statements Monday in the trial of a man accused of fatally stabbing O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old Black gay professional dancer, during a confrontation at a Midwood gas station in July 2023.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Sarah Jafari said Sibley had spent the day celebrating a friend’s birthday at an LGBTQ-friendly beach in New Jersey before returning to Brooklyn with four friends.

The group stopped to refuel on Coney Island Avenue while dancing to Beyoncé outside their car.

Jafari told jurors that a nearby group, including then-17-year-old Dmitriy Popov, confronted them with racist and homophobic slurs after noticing them dancing.

She said the encounter escalated when Popov pulled a knife and stabbed Sibley in the torso.

“They were expressing themselves,” Jafari said, describing Sibley and his friends’ behavior before the confrontation.

She told jurors the attack followed verbal harassment and said Sibley was targeted because of his identity.

“You cannot kill someone because you are offended,” she said. “You cannot kill someone because how they live their life is not in line with what you think is right.”

Defense attorney Mark Pollard said Popov acted in self-defense during a chaotic confrontation.

He described his client as “a frail, skinny, puny” teenager facing a larger group.

He also said evidence would show Sibley struck Popov during the altercation.

“This is about a few terrifying seconds in the life of a 17-year-old boy — not man,” Pollard said. “He was afraid for his life in a chaotic situation.”

Prosecutors said the conflict began after Popov and others, who had been working at a nearby smoke shop, approached Sibley’s group and exchanged insults and slurs.

Jafari said the confrontation briefly appeared to end before Popov remained behind, continued shouting, and then drew a knife.

She said Sibley stepped forward with open hands and positioned himself between the weapon and his friends before he was stabbed.

Popov, now 20, faces charges including second-degree murder as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.

Prosecutors are trying him as an adult. He could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted on the top charge.

Jafari said Popov left the scene after the stabbing, returned to work briefly, and then fled.

Sibley’s family attended court Monday, along with Popov’s relatives. His mother wiped away tears as opening statements were delivered.

The case drew attention in New York City’s Black and LGBTQ communities following Sibley’s death, which sparked public vigils and demonstrations for justice.