A Brooklyn man on Thursday was sentenced to prison following his conviction for manslaughter as a hate crime for taunting, stabbing and killing O’Shae Sibley, 28, at a Midwood gas station after hurling homophobic and anti-Black slurs at him and his friends, who stopped for gas after a day at the beach.
Dmitriy Popov, 20, of Sheepshead Bay, was sentenced to 20 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision following his conviction last month of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime, second-degree menacing, second-degree aggravated harassment, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon following a jury trial, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
On July 29, 2023, at approximately 11:06pm at a Mobil gas station located at 1935 Coney Island Ave., O’Shae Sibley and four of his friends stopped to fill up their car with gas after returning from the beach. Still in their beachwear, they stepped out to stretch their legs while listening to music, with one member of the group dancing outside their vehicle.
Popov and two associates then exited the gas station store and hurled homophobic and racist slurs at the men, saying, in sum and substance, “Get that gay s--t out of here.”
Sibley attempted to diffuse the situation and he and his friends responded, “You don’t know us, we’re just having a good time and enjoying our lives. It’s all respect, we’re allowed to be here just like you.”
Popov's friends left at some point, but the defendant remained outside the gas station store, recording on his cell phone and continuing to antagonize the group with hateful remarks. When Sibley and two of his friends confronted the defendant, he reached into his pocket and pointed a knife at one of Sibley’s friends, threatening to stab him. The defendant then stabbed Sibley on the side of his chest, puncturing his heart, according to prosecutors.
Sibley was pronounced dead at Maimonides Hospital a short time later.
“O’Shae Sibley was simply being himself – a black gay man enjoying a summer evening – but his mere existence caused this defendant to curse, harass and ultimately kill him," Gonzalez said in a statement. "Everyone in Brooklyn must be allowed to live as they wish and love who they want, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who harm others out of bias and hate."
