FRISCO, Texas – Students and staff at Memorial High School in Frisco are mourning the loss of a student athlete who was stabbed to death at a track meet.
The victim’s father said his son died in the arms of his twin brother.
Frisco Track Meet Stabbing
What we know:
On Wednesday morning, 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, was killed at a UIL District 11-5A track meet at Kuykendall Stadium.
Police said a student from Centennial High School in Frisco, 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, stabbed Metcalf in the chest after a fight.
Metcalf family on stabbing
What they’re saying:
Hunter Metcalf described his twin brother Austin’s final moments as he died in his arms.
“I put my hand on there. I grabbed his hand and looked in his eyes. I just saw his soul leave and it took mine too,” Hunter Metcalf told FOX News.
Austin’s family believes the fight started in the stands over a seating issue.
“They were sitting there, and someone was behind them mouthing off and they turned around and said, ‘Who are you?’ And he said, ‘I’m Melo.’ And they said, ‘Well, you don’t belong here. You don’t go to Memorial.’ He had a Centennial tracksuit on. They said, ‘Well, you need to leave. This ain’t your spot,’” Jeff Metcalf said. “And some words were discussed that I’m not gonna say on camera but he asked him to leave and he basically said, ‘Make me.’ And then he wound up stabbing him in the heart and killing him all over someone sitting in the wrong spot at a track meet.”
Related
The Frisco police say one student was killed, and another student is in custody after two students got into a fight this morning at the UIL District 11-5A Championship track meet.
Hunter told his father he tried to save Austin’s life.
“His brother told me, ‘I tried to hold the wound for the blood, but there was too much, and… he died in my arms,’” Jeff Metcalf said.
Austin Metcalf
What they’re saying:
Jeff Metcalf described Austin as an honor student, a natural leader, and a talented athlete.
In addition to track and field, he was a linebacker on the Memorial High School football team.
“Austin was a leader. He led the football team. He was voted team MVP by his players and coaches,” he said. “He played inside. His brother plays outside. Football was his pride and joy. He was working on track and field to increase his speed.”
The three went hunting together this past weekend, something they loved to do together, and the twin brothers had grown up doing with their dad.
“I’m so fortunate to be able to spend that weekend, not knowing it was the last weekend I’ll ever spend with him,” Metcalf said. “I was able to watch and be blessed, so much, to have such, both my sons are amazing. My other son is just crushed. I feel for him now, he won’t be the same. None of us will.”
Based on the number of people who showed up at the hospital, Metcalf knows his son touched people’s lives.
Karmelo Anthony
What we know:
Karmelo Anthony was arrested and is now charged with first-degree murder.
He is in jail on a $1 million bond.
What we don’t know:
Police have not said how he got the knife into the stadium.
They also haven’t released any official information about the circumstances surrounding the fight.
What they’re saying:
While Jeff Metcalf wants justice, he said he’s already forgiven the suspect. And he has sympathy for the teen’s family.
“I’ve already forgiven the person that stabbed him. God’s gonna take care of everything. God’s taking care of my son,” he said. “I feel for their family because now their son will probably wind up in prison and learn that he killed someone, and he devastated and took my son that I can never get back.”
Frisco track meet security measures questioned
Dig deeper:
Shortly after the deadly encounter, a district spokesperson said the stadium was immediately secured and students were released and sent back to their home campus on Frisco ISD buses.
“Crime doesn’t discriminate age and that unfortunately, victimization can happen at any time, at any moment, even when we think that we are safe,” said Dr. Alex del Carmen, a criminologist for Tarleton State University.
Neither the district, nor the Frisco Police Department have said what security measures were in place at the stadium on the day of the fatal stabbing.
Del Carmen says there is no doubt the district and police will be looking closely at this.
“What likely will happen is they’re going to look into the suspect’s background and find out whether or not there’s been signs that perhaps were missed by the family, by the school, and by law enforcement,” said del Carmen. “I think that what really this does invite is a bigger discussion, which is, how much are we willing to give up in terms of our freedoms, in terms the things that we take for granted for the sake of protection.”
Austin Metcalf Remembered
On Wednesday night, the Metcalf family’s church opened its doors for a private prayer vigil.
On Thursday, the teen’s classmates will honor him during second period.
Frisco ISD said the school will also have counselors on campus to support his friends and teachers throughout the day.
There’s no word yet on a public vigil or funeral arrangements.
Track Meet Rescheduled
What’s next:
According to Frisco ISD, the UIL District 11-5A track meet was rescheduled for next week.
It will now be held at Little Elm High School on Monday.
The Source: Information in this article is from the Frisco Police Department, Frisco ISD, and conversations with Austin Metcalf’s father, Jeff.
