By TX3DNews Staff | April 21, 2025
A North Texas tragedy is no longer just local news. It’s now a national flashpoint—and a moral mirror for Texas’ 3rd Congressional District.
Seventeen-year-old Austin Metcalf was fatally stabbed on April 2 during a high school track meet at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco. Karmelo Anthony, also 17, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Both were students. Both were athletes. Both were members of the same school district.
But their story—and the reaction to it—has torn through TX-03 like a lightning bolt.
According to police reports, the two teens got into an altercation. Anthony, who is Black, says he acted in self-defense when Metcalf grabbed him. Metcalf, who was white, died at the scene.
Anthony’s bond was initially set at $1 million, but was later reduced to $250,000.
He’s currently under house arrest, but due to a series of threats—including people loitering outside his family’s home and sending harassing messages—he has been relocated to an undisclosed location for safety, according to court records and police.
“You’re Trying to Create More Race Divide”
What happened on the track sparked immediate grief—and then outrage. A far-right group called “Protect White Americans” led a protest in Frisco days later, alleging the incident was an anti-white hate crime. The group’s leader, Jake Lang, is a known January 6 rioter who was later pardoned by Donald Trump.
The protest was small—but loud. And it was met by counter-protesters from across the political spectrum who objected to the racial narrative being forced onto a still-developing legal case.
In a moment caught on camera, Jeff Metcalf, Austin’s father, approached Lang directly.
“You’re trying to create more race divide than bridging the gap,” Jeff Metcalf said to protest organizers, according to reporting by KERA News.
Soon after, Lang was escorted away by Frisco police.
Weaponizing Grief: Misinformation and Harassment on the Rise
Since the stabbing, both families have been targeted by online mobs. Police confirmed that both the Metcalfs and Anthonys were victims of “swatting” attacks—false emergency calls meant to draw heavily armed law enforcement responses to private homes. Authorities are now investigating.
Social media has become a breeding ground for speculation, conspiracy theories, and outright misinformation about the case—some of which has been picked up by fringe media outlets and politically motivated influencers.
Frisco police issued a public statement urging residents to avoid spreading rumors and to allow the judicial process to proceed without interference.
What It Means for TX-03
This isn’t just a Frisco story—it’s a TX-03 story.
Frisco is one of the fastest-growing cities in the district, a place where diversity is on the rise but tensions over race, class, and crime are never far below the surface. The incident has shaken a community that often prides itself on being safe, suburban, and successful.
But now the question is: Safe for whom?
While national media focus on the racial optics, local residents are left asking deeper questions—about school safety, conflict resolution, and whether the political circus surrounding the case is overshadowing real justice.
And Rep. Keith Self? A Single Post, Then Silence.
Rep. Keith Self did post a brief message on X the day after the stabbing, offering prayers and noting he was “in contact with local officials.” But since then? Nothing. No follow-up. No community appearance. No call for unity as his district becomes the latest political battleground over race, youth violence, and justice.
In moments like these, constituents don’t just need a tweet—they need leadership.
Community Voices Call for Calm—and Clarity
Both families have asked for privacy. Neither has called for protests or political theater. And yet, external groups from outside TX-03 have seized the spotlight—amplifying fear, mistrust, and partisan outrage.
What’s being lost in all this are the lives actually affected: two teenagers, two families, and a district that deserves more than drive-by activism or performative outrage.
If ever there was a time for local leadership to show up with compassion and clarity, it’s now. But if the loudest voices continue to be those from outside the community, TX-03 could find itself repeating this cycle of tragedy and division again.