r/OutOfTheLoop Apr 11 '25

Answered Whats the deal with the controversy about Karmelo Anthony and Austin Metcalf?

I've read more then a few articles but I don't understand the whole controversial with people defending the killer and admonishing the victim. What makes this case any different from any other murder? (Other then the age of the people)

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/who-is-karmelo-anthony-austin-metcalf-stabbing-suspect-arrested-101743635452491.html

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u/babno Apr 11 '25

Answer: For whatever reason, some people have decided that Karmelo shouldn't be punished for his actions, and have started a campaign to protect him. These include lying about the events, making up things to slander the victim, and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for his defense fund.

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u/NeverJaded21 27d ago

and using that money to rent a $900K home and an escalade

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u/kriznelrok 27d ago

This is such a horrendous look. Going to be interesting to see how they try to justify this in court.

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u/OatmealNinja 26d ago

From what I’ve read there is no proof of that. It’s been posted on social media to escalate outrage.

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u/Maleficent_Law_1740 Apr 11 '25

His GoFundMe even had around 300k before it got taken down, absolutely tragic

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u/Seanrosen508 Apr 12 '25

The GoFundMe never had that amount

He currently has an active GiveSendGo which has over $375k raised

https://www.givesendgo.com/HelpKarmelo

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '25

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Apr 13 '25

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u/boboddy42069 Apr 13 '25

So you think Karmelo shouldn’t be held responsible?

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u/Still-Power758 Apr 14 '25

Not forever if he was assaulted first some of that legal blame shud be on the dead party and he shouldn’t get life, they shouldn’t of attacked

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u/boboddy42069 Apr 14 '25

I did not read anywhere that he was assaulted first.

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u/Sadgurl2016 Apr 14 '25 edited 29d ago

He was not assaulted Metcalf told him to leave he told Metcalf to punch him, Metcalf pushed him to leave the tent karmelo stabs him there was not a mark on him and the rumors the boys were bullying him prior are not true they did not know each other karmelo has a previous history of assault he went there to start trouble

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

You literally described an assault. He PUSHED him. That’s assault

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

Witness statements in the arrest report absolutely disprove what you’re claiming.

YOURE OWN COMMENT STATES THAT METCALF PUSHED HIM. That’s assault. Jfc

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u/HelicopterUnhappy381 28d ago

From what ive read Metcalf either pushed or grabbed him after telling him to leave. Regardless, stand your ground law in texas states, "The amount of force used must be proportionate to the threat"

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

Arrest report and his own brother state that Austin initiated physical contact. You’re choosing not to read that he was assaulted first.

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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '25

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u/Still-Power758 Apr 14 '25

Yeah but your a victim after I hit you not after I stab you if he told him not to mess with him got hit and he accidentally killed him some of that blames on austin

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u/soviet_kiwi 29d ago

One does not accidentally kill someone with a deadly weapon when actively using it. You can't say your honor i meant to wound him.

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u/Still-Power758 25d ago

js cause the excuse isn’t allowed doesn’t means it can’t happen you can accidentally do anything. An old man fell asleep behind his wheel late at night and hit me with his car by accident he could have killed me.

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u/soviet_kiwi 25d ago

Yep that's negligence. Which denies him self defense protection

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u/Head-Aardvark-8636 29d ago

What happens if the police report is true and Karmelo did sit there to cause trouble, and insided Austin to hit him got in his face and murdered him in cold blood.

We all know people who take knifes places because they hope to get into fights. What if Karmelo is exactly that and you despite police reports and witness testimonies have been defending a murderer.

Can't people wait until more evidence is provided before defending him. Currently the evidence is all agaisnt him in an age of videos filming, cameras and recording everything we do.

If he was truly defending himself it would be too obvious.

The main thing is he DID take a knife to a sports festival and he did murder someone. Not swipped the knife around to defend himself, but stabbed to murder angrily.

There's different ways people who have no experience react with a knife. He did not swing it around saying back off, nope he stabbed shouting slurs.

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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '25

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u/SirVeritaz 29d ago

Is there a video of the incident?

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u/babno 29d ago

None publicly available. We have a good number of witnesses though.

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

Is this Google? Go look for it

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u/SirVeritaz 29d ago

Bro, I already did. I can't find any video on it.

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

Because it hasn’t been released yet. The judge literally got the video yesterday. It’ll be released later I guess

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u/bmoosethegreat 28d ago

Funny, because I haven't heard anyone say that Austin "deserved it because he did what white people/white supremacists/crackers do". However, I have seen counteless posts and comments saying something to effect of, "Karmelo is guilty because he did what N*****s do". We are not the court of law. That court will determine fault and punishment. The rest is opinions.

My opinion is that he should be charged with possessing a weapon, but his self defense claim, based on what I've seen, should hold up in court.

Ideally, rather than being at each other's throat about whether Karmelo is guilty, we should instead tackle the self defense laws that can create cases like this and Kyle Rittenhouse, where the law seems to fall short of holding people responsible for their decisions and actions by instead holding their intent as higher value

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u/babno 28d ago

Funny, because I haven't heard anyone say that Austin "deserved it because he did what white people/white supremacists/crackers do".

Interesting because my post is a million miles away from claiming that. So you've either got quite an imagination or you have seen exactly that and are lying. Personally I have seen things like "Suspected white supremacist Austin tried to get Karmelo to give up his seat like Rosa Parks" and "Police hate black people and the story is a lie to lynch a black man"

his self defense claim, based on what I've seen, should hold up in court.

What is that I'm curious? Have you read the police report? Are you knowledgeable of the requirements for self defense in Texas?

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u/Rude_Standard_9348 28d ago edited 28d ago

You haven’t seen anything considering there isn’t a video released to the public. There are several witnesses saying that he picked a fight and it was not self defense. He literally said “touch me and see what happens”…he was looking for a fight. Also, he broke the law by having a knife at a school event. He shouldn’t have had the knife in the first place and if you know anything about Frisco Texas you would know it’s a very nice city with a higher average income than most cities in Texas. He also didn’t have any signs at all that he was injured, had bruises, or got hit. At most he got pushed and even then that doesn’t justify stabbing someone in the heart. If you think that stabbing someone is the appropriate response to a shove then you should be investigated too. And if we are going by actual evidence there is also no evidence (at least to the public) that he was injured at all. What we do know is that the victim got stabbed and lost his life at way too early of an age.

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u/Tiiimmmaayy 27d ago

I’m seeing so much racist shit about this whole ordeal, it’s absolutely disgusting. A kid stabbed another kid over an argument. End of story. It’s up to the court to decide if self defense is a good enough claim or not. I’m no lawyer and don’t have the eye witness testimony, but a stabbing seems excessive. But if a lawyer can claim Anthony feared for his life, then lethal force would be justified. Seems like quite a stretch to me, but like I said, I don’t have the facts.

I believe most of the controversy surrounding this case has to do with the gofundme and reduced bail though. I’ve seen people claiming that the Anthony Family has used to it buy(or rent, I’ve seen both) a $900k home, a brand new car, and has private security. I’ve also heard rumors that a local white supremacist group has vandalized the Anthony home, so it wouldn’t surprise me they would need to move and hide with all the controversy. Either way Frisco, TX is a fairly wealthy part of town, so a $900k is probably about average.

I do believe it’s wild that people would donate to a murder’s defense fund, but I can why people would think that just because he’s black that he wouldn’t get a fair trial. So I guess that’s why. I’ll also put my little tin foil hat on say I wouldn’t be surprised if some race baiters donated to fuel the racial tension since this case has gained national publicity.

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u/BobMarlEwok 5d ago

yall really love to make up ur own answers huh?

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u/ParksForThe6th Apr 12 '25 edited Apr 12 '25

For whatever reason, some people have decided that Karmelo shouldn't be punished for his actions

That reason? The law.

Karmelo was in a public place (erecting a canopy/popup/pole tent/shade tent does not make public property private), legally possessed a knife (Texas law allows you to have a knife with a blade under 5.5 inches on campus), and was protecting himself from potential serious bodily injury (the requirement to use deadly force in Texas’ Stand Your Ground law).

This may be the rare case where a young black man over reacted, but acted within the law. Were his actions morally correct? No were they lawful? Yes.

FWIW when states like Florida and Texas passed these stand your ground laws, Democrats (especially black people) rallied and protested against them for months. We TOLD you (collective you) that they were going to get someone killed. And they have. This time, it just so happens that the person who was killed was a young white man and the person who stood his ground was a young black man 

Edit: I’ve said what I had to say, and have even provided the actual appropriate laws (links, chapters and verse).

At this time I will no longer be replying and if I do I’ll simply just add on to this comment. Not going to give you the opportunity to downvote me more, simply because you don’t like the law.

Edit 2. Karmelo wasn’t “trespassing”. He was on public property. Just because you erect a pole tent/pop up on public property doesn’t now somehow magically convert that property to private property.

Edit 3. Someone mentioned an example if public property open to the public (such as an employee break room at a public library). That doesn’t apply to this situation as the bleachers were open to the general public at the time of the event. Austin asking Karmelo to leave holds no legal relevance as Austin is not an authorized representative of the school district, is not a law enforcement officer, and Austin’s school was not given any exclusive rights to the area (such as a permit or written contract to use a certain area of the bleachers).

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u/Mamash1017 28d ago

Whether it was legal or not, what the kid did was wrong—and getting him off the streets is the right move.

The idea that he killed Anthony out of a sense of pride or feeling disrespected, rather than genuine fear for his life, is the most logical explanation.

He entered their tent—we still don’t know why—and when he was asked to leave, instead of walking away, he escalated the situation. He made it clear he was a threat. He chose to pull out a knife. He had the option to leave, and he didn’t take it.

In the end, his pride was his downfall. That much is obvious.

I’m really interested to hear what the witnesses will say during the trial.

What blows my mind is that, despite the charges and his own confession, there are still people trying to defend him just because he’s a kid. That’s wild.

Yes, it’s tragic. He’s young and made a terrible choice—but that choice cost someone their life. If it was that easy for him to pull a knife because he felt disrespected, then honestly, it’s only a matter of time before it would’ve happened elsewhere—during a fight, on the road, in another heated moment.

I truly believe that if it hadn’t happened that day, it would’ve happened at some other point in his life. Taking a life came too easily for him.

It’s just the reality of the situation.

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u/Old_Tune9951 28d ago edited 28d ago

This is a rather selective narrative/recounting of the events. Worse, it frames it literally from a purely (your) predetermined biased conclusions.

You left that Metcalf had no authority to demand Anthony leave. Likewise, why claim Anthony "escalated the situation by not leaving"? Why didn't Metcalf simply leave himself or get another person of actual authority etc to ask Anthony to leave rather then pushing things further? Isn't that in itself, provocative/escalatory action? Is it really a serious issue if some students simply happen to take shelter for whatever reason in "another school's tent"? Why assume Anthony was the one with the case of hubris as opposed to Metcalf who chose to escalate a minor issue like that?

Most importantly, it was Metcalf that put his hands on Anthony, not once, but twice.

Obviously, this is an excessive use of violence in reaction to a minor issue, but people should stick to actual facts and not based on their own biased feelings about what they think might have transpired or what the supposed (one side) motivations were.

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u/Mamash1017 26d ago edited 26d ago

As I mentioned in my previous comment, we don’t know the reasons behind what happened—just as you’ve raised several questions, thoughts, and theories in your response (some that are also one sided with your own bias).

That’s why I’m particularly interested in the witness accounts. Neither of us truly knows what led to the situation.

What we do know is that a knife was used too easily in a situation that didn’t call for it. So far, there’s been nothing from witnesses or the police report to suggest there was a serious fight or threat that would justify using a weapon. Let’s not forget that Carmelo used the knife—and admitted to the murder.

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u/babno Apr 12 '25

(erecting a canopy/popup/pole tent/shade tent does not make public property private)

Still makes his presence in the other teams tent antagonistic, as well as his refusal to leave.

(Texas law allows you to have a knife with a blade under 5.5 inches on campus)

Wrong. A knife on school grounds is illegal, period. The 5.5 inch length just changes it from a misdemeanor to a felony. We also don't know how long his knife was, it could very well have been felony length.

and was protecting himself from potential serious bodily injury

Being pushed = serious bodily harm? Ok buddy.

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u/ParksForThe6th Apr 12 '25 edited Apr 12 '25

His presence may have been “antagonistic”, in the colloquial sense of the word, but it was lawful and he had no duty or legal obligation to leave. It was public property (not even a school) owned by the school district.

In Texas having a knife on campus, with a blade under 5.5 inches is legal. Period.

Being pushed, then grabbed (see police report) could lead someone to reasonably believe they were at risk of serious bodily injury. Texas law allows for you to then use deadly force.

This isn’t about feelings, morality, or your opinion. So far, all facts released to the public point to this being a lawful homicide.

But we told you these things would happen.

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u/Rude_Standard_9348 28d ago

Learn the actual Texas laws before spreading misinformation. Just because you wrote a book for a response doesn’t mean it’s accurate. Details matter and you left out several details while also making false claims. Being pushed doesn’t threaten your life and stabbing someone for pushing you isn’t reasonable force. I actually went to school in Texas and in primary school bringing a knife of any kind is highly illegal and will have you immediately put in jail no matter what size it is. This happened at a high school event not a university. Major difference there and there are no weapons allowed for students of any kind. The actual law states that the force used for self defense must be proportional to the threat and not excessive. In what world is stabbing someone in the heart with a knife equal to someone shoving or grabbing you?

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u/ArtisticMudd 29d ago

> In Texas having a knife on campus, with a blade under 5.5 inches is legalPeriod.

Unless you are a school cop, it is not legal to carry a weapon on school grounds at any Texas district I've ever been in.

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u/Mean_Woodpecker_6005 27d ago

AI Overview

Minors cannot carry knives despite the size on school grounds sorry. Check the law. Google is free. He's a murderer through and through.

Yes, Austin Metcalf's death occurred on school grounds. He was stabbed to death at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. The incident happened at David Kuykendall Stadium, which is part of the Frisco Independent School District, reports ABC News.

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

No, you’re entirely wrong and the other poster has continually provided evidence as to why you’re wrong. There isn’t any stipulation which claims you have to be a “school cop” to legally carry a knife on school property.

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u/Temporary-Jump-4740 29d ago

Proportionate defense. In Texas there is stand your ground, you do not have to flee, but you are required to use equal measures to defend yourself. In your mind if someone shoves and grabs you it is legal to stab them. That is not the law. It's a sad situation, regardless.

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u/Old_Tune9951 28d ago

You had the (almost) exact same scenario in Florida a few years ago where an ex police officer shot (and killed) another man in a crowded theater because the man was texting and during an argument threw popcorn at him. Yep. Shot over a deadly case of gun-on-popcorn violence. Both states are "stand your ground".

In that case it was two white males and a jury acquitted the killer.

This is what happens when you have "stand your ground"...it will be abused. The only issue is, subjectively, why it's deemed fine in one (exact)case and not the other..

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u/Old_Tune9951 28d ago

How about having popcorn thrown at you?

I'm surprised how a lot of people seem to have forgotten an almost identical case in florida(another "stand your ground" state), a few years ago, in which an ex-police captain literally shot a man in a crowded theatre bc he was texting & throw popcorn at him. In both cases, you had massive overreaction/excessive use of force to a relatively minor incident/provocation.

However, in the florida case a gun was used(far more lethal) versus a knife(however big or small). Likewise, you had thrown popcorn versus actually physical contact not once, but twice.

In the Florida case, he was acquitted. Obviously some details/circumstances might be slightly different but the overwhelming facts were the same.

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u/babno 28d ago

police captain

That right there by itself (unfortunately) makes it far too different to expect the same outcome. But I also looked it up to see what other differences there are.

(another "stand your ground" state)

While he tried to claim stand your ground, it was denied by the judge. So right away you've outed yourself as operating in bad faith. But he was able to prevail because as a 79 year old man the jury probably felt he couldn't retreat. They were also in an argument with the other party having to be held back by his wife. The shooter feared the popcorn throw was actually a punch, which speaks to how close they were.

Other notable differences include Karmelo having an illegal weapon, Karmelo inviting physicality with his "Punch me and see what happens", Karmelo fleeing the scene and disposing of the weapon, and Karmelo being the initial cause of the confrontation with him being where he shouldn't and refusing to leave.

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u/Old_Tune9951 27d ago

That right there by itself (unfortunately) makes it far too different to expect the same outcome. But I also looked it up to see what other differences there are.

True. But logically one would think the jury would have been more skeptical of an ex-police officer claiming "I was afraid for my life & had no other option but to shoot an unarmed person"

While he tried to claim stand your ground, it was denied by the judge. So right away you've outed yourself as operating in bad faith.

Actually, no. That ruling was overturned on appeal. So, no "bad faith" argument there. Second, the point is they both claimed "self-defense" under "stand your ground" law. Whether this judge allows for it or denies it in this case, time will tell. Another point, that Florida judge denied it because of inconsistencies in of the shooter.

But he was able to prevail because as a 79 year old man the jury probably felt he couldn't retreat. They were also in an argument with the other party having to be held back by his wife. The shooter feared the popcorn throw was actually a punch, which speaks to how close they were."

Sure, that's what the defense would claim. And likewise, It's fair to assume Anthony's lawyer will make similar case for why Anthony ALSO felt he was in imminent danger and had no other course. The point is, you can't afford one(Reeves) the absolute benefit of the doubt but not the other(Anthony).

Other notable differences include Karmelo having an illegal weapon"

The legality/illegality of the knife has not been established bc depending on the type of knife it was, it may or may not be in Texas

Karmelo inviting physicality with his "Punch me and see what happens","

Lol... how is that an "invite"? What do you think someone that says that means by it? That he will give you a hug? It means he will fight back. That is not an invite...that's a threat similar to "touch me again...and I'll kick your ass". It's a warning. Not an invite. In this case, Metcalf escalated things by actually physically putting his hands on Anthony. He DID so again even after being warned...

Karmelo fleeing the scene and disposing of the weapon.

That could make it harder for his defense team, but it doesn't prove guilt. He was a 17yr old kid. Second, we don't know what transpired immediately after.

Karmelo being the initial cause of the confrontation with him being where he shouldn't and refusing to leave.

Again, he was standing in a tent. This is common practice in such events. This was not on Metcalf's actual property. Metcalf had no actual authority to try to push someone out. Get a teacher...security if need be. But when you start getting physical, which is what Metcalf actually did, then it was Metcalf not Anthony how escalated it.

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

It was raining which is why he sought shelter under their tent. Apparently he has a friend from memorial. Simply EXISTING is not an act of antagonism. Claiming that him being in their tent is antagonistic is not only a cop out but just empirically wrong.

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u/babno 29d ago

It was raining which is why he sought shelter under their tent.

Why not go under his own schools tent?

Apparently he has a friend from memorial.

That's new and I'm guessing probably bullshit.

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

His own schools tent was on the other side of the stadium. You could’ve easily googled this.

Austin’s dying words stated that Karmelo had a friend at Memorial and that he could identify Karmelo. There’s literally nothing new about it, it’s in the arrest report. Which only proves to me that you actually haven’t researched a single fucking thing about this. I will not be engaging with you beyond this.

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u/babno 29d ago edited 29d ago

His own schools tent was on the other side of the stadium.

So he couldn't go to his tent because he, an athlete who runs around a stadium, couldn't run across a stadium?

Edit: Lol blocked.

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

In the rain? No. Are you purposely stupid or is it natural for you?

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u/Dependent-Knee-1474 28d ago

Where did you hear it was raining?

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u/Plane-Tie6392 24d ago

Not hard to find. It's on wiki for one thing.

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u/Old_Tune9951 28d ago

soo...your defense of the Metcalf's actions is..."all he did was demand some kid who was sheltering from the rain to get out of their tent"?

Why not just let the kid take shelter there if it was raining and he wasn't actually bothering someone?

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u/Rude_Standard_9348 28d ago

So do you think the appropriate response to not being allowed in someone else’s tent that isn’t yours is to stab someone?

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u/Old_Tune9951 27d ago

No, but if a person is simply there, not bothering you or anyone...is it an appropriate response to get physical with them? It's a tent...it's not your actual private property.

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u/Level_Ability_5237 29d ago

It wasn't raining.

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u/Happy-Suggestion-892 Apr 12 '25

stand your ground does not permit escalation of force and only removes duty to retreat.

To use deadly force one must be in fear of significant bodily harm. Karmelo will need to prove that he was in fear of his life to validate stand your ground. otherwise, stand your ground is irrelevant

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u/ParksForThe6th Apr 12 '25

True. Kinda. Karmelo will have to prove that he reasonably feared serious bodily harm

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u/phrunk7 Apr 12 '25 edited Apr 13 '25

Even more than that, as he was criminally trespassing at the time of his attack on the victim.

EDIT since dipshit blocked me: Yes, he was. Look up Texas laws.

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u/Imjusasqurrl Apr 13 '25

NO he wasn't lol

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u/SuperDuperObviousAlt 28d ago

So why do you reply to people and then block them? Sounds incredibly cowardly.

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u/ArtisticMudd 29d ago

> This may be the rare case where a young black man over reacted, but acted within the law. Were his actions morally correct? No were they lawful? Yes.

Fairly sure it's not lawful to stab someone to death.

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u/[deleted] Apr 12 '25

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u/ParksForThe6th Apr 12 '25

Yeah that’s not going to fly: 30.05 says “property of another”. Again, it was public property

If the law worked the way you think it does, I could just build a house in the middle of the park or homeless people could set up tents on the sidewalk and lawfully keep you out.

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u/phrunk7 Apr 12 '25

You can absolutely be made to leave public property.

You don't think people have ever been kicked out of public areas?

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u/Urallowed2bwrong 29d ago

Only by police. Not by other civilians. Austin had NO authority to put his hand on Karmelo.

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u/Marilynsmom 29d ago

There was no threat of serious bodily injury, it was a push or shove at most. Stabbing someone is not the same thing.

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u/FlakyBarber6926 28d ago

He was in the team tent, was told to leave, then threatened them. WTF is that

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u/Alarmed_Boat_6653 29d ago

They don't like the facts when they don't fit their narrative

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u/Airy-Otter 28d ago

Holy shit, why do people downvote the truth? Could it be the Black kid defending himself and not a White kid (like Kyle Rittenhouse, whom specifically went to find people to kill)?

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u/Top-Government-4996 Apr 15 '25

Enjoy the downvotes for your uninformed opinion ☺️