We Are Standing with Karmelo Anthony Until All Facts Are Known

The recent tragedy at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas, has shaken a community and sparked national conversation. A young man, Austin Metcalf, tragically lost his life, and another young man, Karmelo Anthony, is now facing the charge of first-degree murder. The facts surrounding the incident are still under investigation. Witness statements differ. Emotions are high. The nation is watching.

As the American Freedmen Legal Fund, we are not here to render judgment—we are here to uphold due process, monitor for public bias, and protect the legal rights of every Freedmen youth, verified or not.

Karmelo Anthony is an Unverified Freedmen. He is also a 17-year-old child caught in the epicenter of a digital and media firestorm. And like many Freedmen youth before him, he is being tried in the court of public opinion long before the full truth is known.

We are standing with him—not because we have all the facts, but because he deserves the same presumption of innocence, the same right to counsel, and the same chance to be heard as any other young person in this country.

The weaponization of mugshots, the rush to assign guilt, and the way stories are framed around Black and Freedmen youth is a pattern we know too well. It is not justice. It is systemic. And it must stop.

Our position is simple:

• We await the final police report and official release of findings.

• We will document media framing and public commentary that may influence outcomes.

• We will continue to monitor this case for civil rights violations, institutional bias, or unlawful narrative manipulation.

This moment isn’t about denying a tragedy occurred. It is about ensuring that no child is stripped of their rights before due process has taken its course.

We extend our condolences to the Metcalf family and the entire Frisco ISD community. We also extend our hand to Karmelo Anthony—not in denial of what happened, but in defense of his legal dignity and the truth that every American Freedman youth deserves to be treated justly.

Until every fact is known, we stand firm, grounded in law, principle, and clarity.