On April 2, 2025, Austin Metcalf, a 17-year-old American student at Memorial High School, was fatally stabbed while attending a school track meet in Frisco, Texas. He died of his injuries at the scene. A 17-year-old Centennial High School student was arrested for the stabbing and charged with murder. The incident has been the basis for much online attention, misinformation, and fundraising.
Metcalf, born July 31, 2007,[1] was a junior at Memorial High School in Frisco, Texas, where he had a 3.97 GPA.[2] He was MVPlinebacker of the football team and participated in track and field.[3][4] Metcalf's father said that his playing football was his "pride and joy".[5] His twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, who played football with him, stated that he always looked up to Austin.[6][7] According to his profile on Hudl, Metcalf was 6 feet (183cm) tall, weighed 225 pounds (102kg) and was a member of the class of 2026.[8][bettersourceneeded]
Alleged perpetrator
The alleged perpetrator was a prominent student and athlete for the track and football team, which he captained, at Centennial High School, also in Frisco.[4] Witnesses say that the pair did not know each other.[9][10] He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is the oldest of four children in his family. He had no prior criminal history.[11] According to his profile on Hudl, he was 5feet 11inches (180cm) tall, weighed 160 pounds (73kg) and was a member of the Titans Varsity football team.[12]
Incident
The stabbing occurred at the Memorial High School tent in the David Kuykendall Stadium at approximately 10 a.m. (CDT) on April 2, 2025.[13] According to the arrest report, the first witness told police the altercation started when Metcalf told the perpetrator to move out from under the team’s tent. Athletes were taking shelter under the tent due to rain.[6] Hunter Metcalf, Austin's twin brother, told the accused to move out from the Memorial team's tent. Austin then stepped into confrontation with the accused.[14] Witness 1 claims that during the argument that ensued, the accused reached around in his backpack before he said to Metcalf, "Touch me and see what happens." Austin responded by touching him. The accused allegedly said "Punch me and see what happens", to which Austin began aggressively pulling him out of the tent after grabbing his bag according to Hunter Metcalf. Austin "pushed" the suspect while exchanging words according to the second witness in the arrest report. After this alleged attack on the suspect, he pulled out a black knife from the backpack and stabbed Austin once in the chest before running away. The second witness in the Frisco Police Arrest Report stated "Austin and the male went back and forth and then Austin stood up and pushed the male to get him out of the tent".[15][16]
After being stabbed, Austin grabbed his chest and told those around him to get help. When the police arrived, he was not breathing and athletic trainers were performing chest compressions. Despite the efforts of his brother, responding emergency medical technicians and other people to revive him, he was pronounced dead minutes after arriving at the hospital.[6][13]
The accused quickly surrendered to police. According to a responding officer, the accused first said "I was protecting myself." The officers reported he was "emotional" and "crying hysterically" after he was arrested. The officer then communicated to others that he had the suspect in custody, to which the accused said, "I'm not 'alleged.' I did it." As he was being escorted to the police car, the accused reportedly said: "He put his hands on me, I told him not to". While he was sitting at the back seat of the police car, he asked if Metcalf is "going to be ok" and reportedly asked the officer if what he did was considered self-defense.[17][13]
Legal proceedings
The accused was charged with murder and transported to the Collin County jail.[15] He was charged as an adult, since, under the Texas criminal justice system, defendants age 17 and older are prosecuted as adults.[18]
On April 14, 2025, Judge Angela Tucker agreed to lower the accused's bond from $1 million to $250,000, citing his clean criminal record and his academic and athletic achievements. He was placed under house arrest with an ankle monitor.[19][20] According to his release conditions, he must be supervised by an adult at all times and must contact the judge's bailiff every Friday morning. He was prohibited from using social media or contacting Metcalf's family.[21]
Mike Howard, lawyer for the accused, said that he would plead not guilty and claim self-defense at his future trial.[22] The district attorney noted that due to his age, the accused would not be eligible to be sentenced to life without parole or the death penalty.[23]
On June 24, 2025, Willis announced a grand jury had indicted the accused perpetrator on charges of first-degree murder.[24][25]
Aftermath
The courts approved the accused moving to an "undisclosed location" due to safety concerns.[26][27] According to the Next Generation Action Network (NGAN), a nonprofit organization that works with family of the accused, the move was precipitated by an "alarming increase in death threats, continued harassment, and physical intimidation" targeted at him and his family's home.[28][27][29]
Metcalf's mother and father have both had their homes swatted, with one such incident resulting in a SWAT team showing up to Metcalf's father's home with their weapons drawn.[30][31] Additionally, both Metcalf's father and the father of the accused have been forced to leave their jobs after facing harassment and doxxing.[32][33] Angela Tucker, the judge who lowered the bond to $250,000, has also been doxed and received multiple threats from unknown people. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reportedly investigating the incident.[34][20] The local sheriff's office is also investigating on whether anyone shared her personal information online.[35]
Metcalf's family requested privacy for his funeral, which was held on April 9, 2025. His online obituary celebrated his engagement in sports.[36]
The parents of the accused and the NGAN held a press conference on April 17. Metcalf's father attended the event. However, roughly 40 minutes after the press conference was supposed to begin, Dallas police approached Metcalf and asked him to leave. After Metcalf had left the press conference, NGAN founder and president Dominique Alexander said Metcalf was "uninvited" and that his presence was "disrespectful to the dignity of his son". Metcalf said he thought it would be "an opportunity for the two families to come together in a productive way".[29][37]
Fundraiser
The family of the accused set up a crowdfunding campaign on GiveSendGo to pay for legal defense, raising over $453,000 in donations by April 17 and over $515,000 by May 1.[38][39]GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns were launched by Metcalf's father and the owner of the pizzeria in Frisco where Metcalf worked part-time, raising nearly $250,000.[40]
The founder of the GiveSendGo company, Jacob Wells, has compared the case to Kyle Rittenhouse and Daniel Penny, stating that the accused should be afforded the "same presumption of innocence" as anyone else.[41] On May 2, GiveSendGo turned off the commenting function on the accused's fundraiser page, citing an "unacceptable volume of racist and derogatory remarks".[42]
The family of the accused was attacked online after a news report from Daily Mail alleging that he was living in a "luxurious" $900,000 house with his family after receiving thousands of dollars in donations.[34] According to Snopes, the family had not withdrawn any money from donations.[43]
Misinformation
Shortly after Metcalf's death, an X account impersonating the Frisco police chief began spreading misinformation. The account posted a fake autopsy report that stated that Metcalf died from MDMA-fentanyl overdose. The post gained millions of views on X and other social media platforms. The Frisco Police Department and the FBI began investigating the account for police impersonation.[44][45]
Protest
On April 19, 2025, the group Protect White Americans held a protest at the location where Metcalf was killed, David Kuykendall Stadium. Protestors demanded the accused be returned to police custody until his trial. One counter protestor who pepper-sprayed an attendee and another who antagonized attendees were both arrested.
Metcalf's father told the organizer of the protest that he disapproved of his efforts, stating, "You're trying to create more race divide than bridging the gap. I do not condone anything you do." He also requested that his son's school portrait be removed from the group's website.[46]
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