Father of teenage knifeman charged with murdering gay dancer O'Shea Sibley at a gas station claims his son was the one under attack

The father of the teenage knifeman who was charged with murdering O'Shea Sibley at a gas station claims that his son, Dmitriy Popov, was the one under attack. 

Popov, then 17, was accused of allegedly stabbing Sibley, 28, a professional dancer who was 'voguing' to a Beyoncé song as he filled his car up with gas on July 29, 2023. 

After a hearing in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Wednesday, Popov's father exclusively told DailyMail.com: 'My son is a good kid, he goes to church, he goes to school- all that they say is not true.' 

'He was being attacked by four people,' his father added. 

Popov pleaded not guilty in August to second-degree murder as a hate crime. The fourth-year student at The Professional Pathways Sheepshead High School, had no prior run-ins with the law.

At the time of the altercation, surveillance footage captured a group of teens reportedly yelling homophobic slurs and anti-black statements to Sibley and his friends, according to surveillance footage ABC News Chicago reported.  

Security camera video showed the argument had broken up and both groups had walked away when Sibley and his friends abruptly returned and crossed a parking lot to confront the white 17-year-old, who was recording with his phone, the Associated Press reported. 

In the video, Sibley could be seen following the teen and then lunging at him. The stabbing happened out of a clear view of the cameras.

Officials said after words were exchanged the teen took out a knife and stabbed Sibley to death. 

Popov then turned himself in as Brooklyn prosecutors charged him with murder, hate crime murder, and criminal possession of a weapon.

Mark Pollard, Popov's attorney, told DailyMail.com that this is 'a very strong case of self defense.' 

'There was no intentional murder here, and we plan on proving that after trial, and certainly they won't be able to prove it beyond reasonable doubt to sustain these charges,' Pollard said. 

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez previously reassured the public that the case would be taken 'very seriously' against Popov. 

'They were being themselves, dancing joyfully to Beyoncé music at a Brooklyn gas station,' Gonzalez said. 

'We promise the family that we would have a vigorous, thorough prosecution.'

'Defending yourself from being an anti-gay or an anti-Black comment and arguing back is not a cause for someone to take a weapon and do what was done in this case,' Gonzalez added. 

More than 200 people attended Sibley's funeral in his hometown of Philadelphia at the historic opera house. 

Sibley had moved to New York to pursue his career as a dancer. He performed with the dance company Philadanco and danced to celebrate his LGBTQ+ identity. 

Otis Pena, a close friend of Sibley's who was at the gas station shared his grief hours later in a Facebook video.  'O´Shae had the power to touch everyone´s heart whoever met him.'

He added: 'He was 'a beacon of light for a lot of us in our community.'

A celebration of life service followed at the Met in Philadelphia. Sibley's father, Jake Kelly, was seen resting his eyes on his son in his casket as he says his final goodbyes.

Sidley was laid to rest at  Fernwood Cemetary in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. His grief-stricken mother, Onetha Sibley was seen placing her hand on her son's royal blue casket, surrounded by loved ones. 

After his death, tributes poured in far and wide including from filmmaker Spike Lee and musical artist, Beyonce. Spike Lee posted the Instagram message, 'Rest in Power.'