Updated: 11:22 PM

A press conference intended to defend Karmelo Anthony, the 17-year-old accused of fatally stabbing fellow teen Austin Metcalf at a Frisco track meet, was disrupted Thursday when the victim’s father briefly appeared before being removed by police.

The event quickly escalated into a controversial display of political posturing and victim-blaming, sparking public backlash.

Jeff Metcalf, father of the slain teen, stood silently near the scene before police asked him to leave at the request of the organizers. He complied without incident.

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Dominique Alexander, a local activist with a criminal record—including a felony conviction for injury to a child and a felony indictment for continuous family violence—organized the press conference on behalf of the Anthony family .

From the podium, Alexander scolded Metcalf’s presence as “disrespect to the dignity of his son,” and accused him of being manipulated by “conservative political operatives.”

Alexander also attempted to inject race into the narrative, claiming the family has been targeted due to racism and that the case is being politicized.

His remarks drew criticism from community members who viewed the statements as an inappropriate effort to deflect blame from the accused.

Critics were quick to note that the Anthony family’s public portrayal of financial hardship did not align with reality.

According to the Daily Mail, the Anthony family recently moved into a $900,000 home in a gated community and were seen driving a new Cadillac Escalade with temporary plates expiring June 4.

A neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the outlet, “He got a new car. If you look at the license plate, it’s got a paper tag and it says it expires June 4.”

This comes despite the family’s public claims that they had not yet received any of the tens of thousands of dollars raised through a GiveSendGo crowdfunding campaign.

Kayla Hayes, Anthony’s mother, spoke at the event and accused the public of spreading “lies and false accusations,” saying her family had been “harassed” and “threatened.”

However, she declined to address the circumstances of her son’s alleged killing of Metcalf, stating only that the family would “not speak publicly about the specific details.”

She said her husband had to take a leave of absence from work and that their address had been posted online.

Hayes maintained that the family only learned this week that they could request funds from the donation site.

Alexander also defended the decision to reduce Karmelo Anthony’s bond from $1 million to $250,000, citing other high-profile cases in which defendants—who were later convicted of murder—received similar or lower bonds.

However, these comparisons overlooked key differences in legal context and case specifics.

Rather than addressing the particular details of Anthony’s charge, Alexander used the platform to invoke identity politics and portray the accused as a victim.