A fellow student athlete who witnessed the death of Austin Metcalf is shedding more light on what happened. Now he’s saying Metcalf pushed Karmelo Anthony before he was stabbed.
Anthony is accused of stabbing Metcalf, both 17 at the time, during a Frisco Independent School District track meet in 2025.
The 16-year-old witness said he didn’t recall anything unusual about that day. He noted that it had begun to rain that day.
What first caught his attention was Anthony, another student-athlete he didn’t recognize. He testified that Anthony stepped directly into their team tent.
During the first day of trial, the defense argued Anthony walked over there because he thought he saw someone he knew.
NBC News reported Anthony wasn’t expected to be at the meet that early and that he had set up a physical therapy appointment for that day.
He immediately questioned why someone from another school would be there, according to CBS News. They all asked him to leave, but they were not aggressive at first, he said.
“I remember Karmelo refusing to leave and Austin saying ‘You need to leave,’ and Karmelo saying ‘Touch me and find out,’” the witness testified.
CBS News reported the witness denied that anyone was ganging up on Anthony. He insisted Anthony was provoking the situation.
“It’s kind of weird when other schools come and stand under our tent,” he said.
He testified that Metcalf confronted Anthony the right way, but the situation didn’t resolve.
“Austin asked him multiple times to leave our tent, and he proceeded not to,” the witness said. “He did state multiple times that he had something in his bag.”
The 16-year-old witness said Metcalf grew visibly irritated. “Austin just wanted him to get out of there,” he testified.
That’s when things got out of control.
The witness told prosecutors that Anthony nudged Metcalf and then stabbed him. But on cross-examination, the witness said Anthony was seated with his backpack on his lap, and his hand inside it when Metcalf approached him.
The defense attorney asked about Metcalf shoving Anthony.
“I wouldn’t say it was a light shove or a hard shove; I would say it was more of an in-between,” the witness replied.
According to the witness, Metcalf approached Anthony and then pushed him by placing both of his hands on Anthony’s shoulders.
That’s when Anthony pushed Metcalf and stabbed him, CBS News reported.
“Austin fell down the bleachers onto his back, and he got up,” the teenage witness said. “He lifted up his shirt where his chest was all bloody and said, ‘I think I got stabbed’.”
Newly enhanced surveillance video from investigators revealed the last moments of Metcalf’s life.
NBC News reported that the video shows Anthony walking up to the tent first, followed by Metcalf and his friends. You then see someone pushing another person, followed by a sudden burst of movement.
The witness described Anthony’s exit from the tent as “strangely calm.”
“It was really odd,” he testified. “I think [Anthony] was just trying to get away.”
Metcalf’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, was present throughout the entire incident, according to CBS News. The defense alleged in opening statements that both Metcalfs confronted Anthony and that Anthony “made a split-second” decision out of fear.
The witness testified Hunter Metcalf was not involved. The brothers are about 6 feet 1 inches tall and weigh about 213 pounds, while Anthony is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 135 pounds, NBC News reports.
“Austin went and touched him on the shoulder, kind of moving him,” A friend of Metcalf also testified on Friday, adding that Anthony then stabbed him.
“I was in disbelief,” he said. “… Austin was a bigger guy, and he had tried to be nice about it.”
He testified he did not believe the stabbing was in self-defense.
Earlier in the day, the Frisco officer who arrested Anthony testified about the comments Anthony made that day.
“I advised that I had the alleged suspect detained in handcuffs,” the officer said. CBS News reported the officer then told the jury Anthony responded, “I’m not alleged, I did it.”
“When we placed him in the squad car, he asked if he would be OK,” the officer testified.
On cross-examination, the defense asked questions concerning Anthony’s compliance with officers. The officer agreed that Anthony had been compliant.
The defense also argued Anthony wasn’t trying to run away, pointing out that he only stabbed Metcalf once and no one else.
