Frisco track meet stabbing: Karmelo Anthony fundraiser nears $300,000
Karmelo Anthony
The Brief
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- A fundraiser for Frisco murder suspect Karmelo Anthony has raised nearly $300,000 as of Wednesday.
- Fundraising platform GiveSendGo has drawn criticism on social media for not removing the campaign.
- GiveSendGo’s co-founder Heather Wilson defended the company’s decision on social media Monday.
FRISCO, Texas – Nearly $300,000 has been raised for Frisco murder suspect Karmelo Anthony.
Anthony, 17, was charged with murder after the stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet last week.
Karmelo Anthony fundraisers
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Karmelo Anthony GiveSendGo
By the numbers:
As of Wednesday afternoon, a fundraiser on GiveSendGo had brought in more than $285,000. It has a goal of $350,000.
A message on the page from Anthony’s family reads:
“This is the Official Support Fund for Karmelo and his family during this challenging and difficult time.
“The narrative being spread is false, unjust, and harmful. As a family of faith, we are deeply grateful for all of your support during this trying period. Your prayers and assistance mean more to us now more than ever.”
The fundraising has generated outrage on social media with people calling on the platform to stop allowing donations.
GiveSendGo’s co-founder Heather Wilson defended the platform’s decision to leave the campaign on X.
What they’re saying:
“I wanted to share my perspective on the ongoing discussion about whether we should allow fundraising for individuals who’ve been charged with a crime,” Wilson said. “We’re now seeing similar outrage from the right as we once did from the left when we allowed campaigns for Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny. In both of those cases, we upheld the principle that someone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Shouldn’t that same standard apply here as well?”
Wilson went on to say that people donated to all three of the campaigns to support due process and a fair trial.
“From the beginning, we decided that GiveSendGo would not serve as judge and jury. We’re not here to decide who deserves a defense. That’s the role of our justice system,” Wilson said. “The right was outraged when GoFundMe removed Rittenhouse’s campaign. Do you now believe big tech should censor based on their personal beliefs around a situation?”
Wilson urged people to let the court decide and not succumb to “mob outrage.”
Several GoFundMe campaigns for Anthony have been deleted by the platform.
“GoFundMe’s Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes. Consistent with this long-standing policy, any fundraisers for the legal defense of someone charged with a violent crime are removed from the platform and fully refunded,” a GoFundMe spokesperson said in a statement.
The Anthony family said in a statement that they were never behind any of the GoFundMe accounts.
“Any GoFundMe account is not authorized or endorsed by the family. Please do not use GoFundMe for any donations to Karmelo Anthony’s family,” the Anthony family said in a statement.
What’s next:
Anthony is due in court Monday, his defense team is asking for a reduction in the teen’s $1 million bond.
Frisco track meet stabbing
Frisco track meet stabbing: What we know
Frisco Memorial junior Austin Metcalf was stabbed and killed on Wednesday at a track meet. Frisco Centennial 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony has been charged with murder in the stabbing. Take a look back at FOX 4’s coverage of the stabbing as more information came out about the victim, suspect and a full conversation with Austin’s father, Jeff.
Dig deeper:
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 during a fight.
An arrest report for Anthony said that Anthony told a school resource officer that Metcalf “put his hands” on him. After the officer mentioned to others that he had the alleged suspect in custody, the report states Anthony said, “I’m not alleged. I did it.”
The report states Anthony also asked the officers, “Is he going to be okay?” And he “asked if what happened could be considered self-defense.”
Witnesses told police that Anthony was sitting under the Memorial High School tent and was told to leave. Anthony allegedly told Metcalf “touch me and see what happens.” One witness told police that Metcalf then pushed Anthony to get him out of the tent and Anthony reached into a bag and stabbed him.
Anthony was arrested and is now charged with first-degree murder.
He is in the Collin County jail on a $1 million bond.
Austin Metcalf
Family shares details about Frisco teen’s final moments
Frisco teen Austin Metcalf was stabbed and killed at a track meet earlier this week. His family shared details about Austin and what led up to the shooting.
Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, described the teen 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.”
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.”
Austin Metcalf Funeral Service
Austin Metcalf
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m. at Hope Fellowship Frisco East, located at 9950 Rolater Rd. in Frisco.
The family will have a private burial after the memorial service.
Related Stories
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- Frisco teen dies in twin brother’s arms after track meet stabbing
- Frisco track meet stabbing suspect: ‘I did it’
- Frisco track meet stabbing: Police warn against misinformation online
- Frisco track meet stabbing suspect to seek reduction in bond, new charge
- Rescheduled UIL track meet held with increased security following Frisco student stabbing
- Frisco track meet stabbing: Police, civil rights group discuss investigation, threats
- Funeral arrangements set for Frisco stabbing victim Austin Metcalf
GiveSendGo
GiveSendGo was founded in 2014 and designed to be used as a way to raise money for mission trips, medical expenses, personal needs or “any ‘God Adventure’ you embark on,” their website states.
The platform gained national attention in 2020 when it allowed a fundraiser for Kyle Rittenhouse to remain up after similar campaigns were deleted by GoFundMe.
Rittenhouse was 17 when he shot and killed two men during a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2020.
He argued that he acted in self-defense when he used an AR-15 rifle during the shooting.
A jury found him not guilty of homicide charges.
Rittenhouse eventually raised nearly $600,000 on the platform.
The platform has also been used to raise money for alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, Daniel Penny and Jan. 6 rioters.
Suspect in dock today over fatal stabbing on Cape Town airport road
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A 33-year-old man from Langa has been arrested in connection with the recent fatal smash-and-grab attack on a retired teacher.
He is expected to appear at the Bishop Lavis magistrate’s court on Thursday to face murder and aggravated robbery charges, said police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa.
“As the investigation unfolds, we expect the arrests of more suspects.”
Karin van Aardt, 64, and her husband had flown into Cape Town and were minutes away, travelling on Jakes Gerwel Drive, when they came under attack at a traffic light. The passenger window was smashed and she was repeatedly stabbed while one suspect grabbed for her handbag. Her husband sped away but Van Aardt, a former Bloemfontein primary school teacher who had retired to Mbombela, died en route to hospital.
“An earnest plea is made to local communities to provide information to police in efforts to prevent similar crime incidents and ensure perpetrators of crime are brought to book,” Potelwa said.
“With the holiday season on us, prompting increased activity on roads and other public places, integrated deployments have been intensified at identified hotspots in accordance with the safer festive season operational plan.”
The couple were only seven minutes from Cape Town International Airport when she was killed at a N2 intersection that is a known hotspot, anti-crime activist Andre Snyman from eBlockwatch said in a Facebook post.
“This is not an unknown corner. People on the ground know these spots. We know where you shouldn’t be stopping. The maps don’t say it. The brochures don’t say it. You land. You follow the GPS. You drive straight into an intersection that has been a problem for a long time.”
Snyman said he had been alerted about another attack on November 12 at the “N2-N7 hell run” when a man’s wrist was slashed and three of the car’s windows were broken.
More active law enforcement is needed to deal with the years-long failure to protect the main funnel of people leaving the airport, he said.
“If this is where visitors ‘pour out’, that route should be lined with visible support and smart policing. If the criminals move, the support must move with them.”
21-year-old dies in stabbing on Russell Road near Trainyards
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Ottawa police say a 21-year-old was killed in a stabbing shortly after midnight in the 1700 block of Russell Road, near Trainyards.
Police say the victim is 21-year-old Raphael Atende.
Neighbour Dorine Laprade says she found Atende outside on the grass late last night.
“It was hard for me to see to see a baby boy who was innocent,” Laprade told CTV News Ottawa.
“It shouldn’t have ever happened to this kid at all; no kid. No mom should ever see any child die like this.”
On Thanksgiving, there was a shooting on the same block that resulted in no injuries, and Laprade says the two incidents have left her and others in her community devastated.
“I couldn’t sleep. I can’t sleep because of that shooting and that poor child. This is not right and it will take a long time before I recover,” she said.
Laprade says she would like to see more supports in her neighbourhood following the two incidents.
“Parking lots are dark. We don’t have not enough cameras. We don’t have enough lights. We don’t have enough of the service that we need for our children,” she said.
“And this has to stop. It ends. It’s finished for me. I can’t take it anymore.”
Police say there is no information to suggest the recent shooting and Atende’s death are related, but the investigation remains ongoing.
“Everything is going to be reviewed. Obviously, there’s going to be some consideration given to the fact that there have been other violent incidents that have occurred in this area,” said Duty Inspector Mark Bouwmeester.
“Our homicide investigators are actively looking at everything possible. And they’re going to continue the investigation until they’re able to find that information that we need.”
There was also a homicide in the 1700 block of Russell Road in June 2024.
Police say there is no suspect in custody, but they believe there is no concern for public safety at this time.
“The investigations can unfold. We are going to engage into a post-incident protocol where we will see some members of the Ottawa police in the neighborhood to ensure that the community feels safe,” said Bouwmeester.
This is the 15th homicide in Ottawa this year.
The Ottawa Police Service Homicide Unit is investigating and is asking anyone with information to contact them at 613-236-1222 ext. 5493.
Islington stabbing recap after man knifed in neck on Essex Road
Police are yet to make an arrest in connection
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A man in his 40s was stabbed in the neck on a busy road in Islington on Tuesday afternoon (November 4). Police, paramedics and London’s Air Ambulance were called to Essex Road just before 4pm following reports of a serious incident.
The injured man was taken to hospital in an unconfirmed condition, where he remains. The Metropolitan Police is yet to make an arrest in connection and the investigation is ongoing.
A cordon stretching from Essex Road Post Office to New North Road was in place overnight, blocking off a number of shops. Officers removed the blue-and-white tape at around 11am today (November 5).
Photos taken at the scene show a large blood spatter outside People’s Choice, a café next to the Post Office. Drips can be seen along the pavement leading towards a nearby bus stop.
The incident comes a day after a woman was stabbed in a park elsewhere in the borough. She remains in critical condition, police confirmed.
