Austin Metcalf’s (left) family was swatted by a fake shooting call on Thursday.
The family of
Austin Metcalf
allegedly killed by
Karmelo Anthony
at a track meet earlier this month was targeted by a sick prank as cops rushed to the Metcalfs’ home acting on a
fake shooting report
. This took place hours after Metcalf’s father was booted out if a press conference that Anthony’s family held to clear the air about some misconception after their son walked out of prison on bond. The two families stay in the same area but did not know each other and neither did the teens know each other. Karmelo claimed he stabbed Austin Metcalf in self-defense as Metcalf put his hands on him first.
Since the tragedy, the families have been indirectly attacking each other and that escalated after Anthony was released on a bond. According to the court rule, Anthony is not supposed to contact the Metcalf family and hence they made it a point to remove Metcalf’s father from their press conference.
Police in Frisco, Texas, described the incident as “swatting,” a prank in which someone reports a fake crime to get cops to swarm the victims’ home, according to WFAA.
At the press conference, Anthony’s mother Kala Hayes said that her family is under attack. “Whatever you think that happened between Karmelo and the Metcalf boys, my three younger children, my husband and I didn’t do anything to deserve to be threatened, harassed and lied about,” she said fighting back tears.
The stabbing has taken a racial overtone as the Anthonys are black. They managed to raise a huge amount of money through donations for Anthony’s legal fund. But they apparently did not use that money for Anthony’s release and moved to a new house and bought a new car.
“Three years ago, my family moved to North Texas, searching for a better life,” she said. “Like so many other families, we wanted to give our children the future we did not have. My husband works hard every single day to provide for us, to make sure we [are] in the best financial position possible. As a stay-at-home mom, I made it my life’s mission to ensure our children are loved, nurtured, and supported every step of the way. In the wake of this tragic incident, our family has been under attack.”
“The lies and false accusations that have been said about us, especially over the past week, [have] been overwhelming,” she said. “The lies and their amplification put my family in danger, as well as everyone in our community, everyone involved in the investigation, from the police, the attorneys, and the court staff.”
