Monday, April 7, 2025

Police, FBI Investigate Misinformation Surrounding Stabbing Death


Frisco, Texas authorities, alongside the FBI, are investigating fake social media posts tied to a fatal stabbing at a high school track meet, including one falsely attributed to Police Chief David Shilson that used the department’s logo and seemed intended to stir racial tension. 

The post surfaced after 17-year-old Austin Metcalf was stabbed Wednesday at Frisco Memorial High School; Karmelo Anthony, 17, from Frisco Centennial High, was arrested for murder and claims self-defense, held on $1 million bond.


Police warned of the “fake account” Thursday, and experts like Jeffrey Blevins and Janet Johnson, who study misinformation, flagged the post’s inflammatory language and odd phrasing—such as “mutual combat brawl” and “sucker punched”—as suspicious, despite its use of a real tip line. 


The post named Austin (white) but not Karmelo (Black), though police found no racial motive. Another fake post on X, posing as a Collin County autopsy report, also circulated. Police are pursuing criminal charges like online impersonation and working to remove the posts, amid millions of social media views on the case.

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