On April 2, 2025, a 17-year-old student named Karmelo Anthony stabbed 16-year-old Austin Metcalf at a championship track meet. Authorities charged Karmelo with first-degree murder, initially setting his bond at $1 million. Later, according to CBS News, the court lowered the bond to just $250,000.This raised a lot of racial and political tension on social media and around the United States.
When did this occur?
The incident occurred at about 10 a.m. at Kuykendall Stadium at the University Interscholastic League’s District 11-5A championship meet. According to witness statements, Anthony and Metcalf engaged in a verbal fight, during which Anthony pulled out a knife and stabbed Metcalf once in the chest. Metcalf fell into his brother’s arms as he watched him die. Officers at the scene took Anthony into custody after he complied with their instructions.While sitting in the police vehicle, Anthony reportedly asked the officer if Metcalf would be okay and whether he would consider his actions self-defense.
The bond agency lowered the bond from $1,000,000 to $250,000.
After being held in jail for just two days Anothony was released on bond after it being lowered. His defense attorney said, “Unfortunately, as is common in our culture, especially lately, the vitriol and, you know, public reaction one way or the other has been intense and threats and talk of race, war and all kinds of insanity, isn’t good for, obviously, the Anthony family,” said defense attorney Mike Howard. “It’s not good for the Metcalf family. It’s not good for the peace and safety of our community,” according to FOX News.
Anthony’s family raised over $500,000
Anthony’s family throws out Austin Metcalf’s father at their press event
Anthony’s family organized a news conference last month, and staff members asked Jeffrey Metcalf, Austin Metcalf’s father, to leave multiple times after he showed up “uninvited.”
“We asked him, we tried to … literally, this press conference was delayed an entire hour. We asked him to leave several times,” said Anthony’s family.
According to Metcalf, he wanted to “represent Austin” in response to people disparaging him online, painting the late teen as a violent bully. He was expecting an apology from Anthony’s family for what happened to his son. What he did not expect was to be escorted out by Dallas Police.
