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A shirtless man whose friend was dancing exuberantly as they pumped gas at a Brooklyn Mobil station was stabbed to death by a stranger who said the men’s antics were offensive to the killer’s Muslim faith, a witness told the Daily News.
The NYPD is investigating the caught-on-video killing as a possible hate crime.
The mayhem started when the victim pulled up the the Mobil gas station on Coney Island Ave. near Avenue P in Midwood about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, cops said. He and his four friends, all shirtless in swim trunks on one of the hottest days of the year, got out of their white sedan to pump gas.
A friend of the victim in small tight trunks a witness described as “underwear” began dancing.
That’s when a group of men exiting the Mobil station started harassing the 28-year-old victim, clad in pink swim trunks, and his pals, according to Summy Ullah, 32, who witnessed the argument and slaying.
“They were saying, ‘Oh, we’re Muslim, so don’t do this in front of me,’” said Ullah. “From that I think it looks like a hate crime.”
“Nothing else was going on. They were only dancing,” he added. “This guy was dancing in underwear and the suspect was like ‘Why are you dancing in your underwear?’”
Ullah says he believes the stabber was motivated by homophobia. “Obviously, they are gay and if they are dancing that’s the problem they had,” he said.
One member of the victim’s group walked up to the men, followed by three others, and they exchanged heated words, video obtained by the Daily News shows.