It was just after 10 a.m. on April 2, during what should have been a typical high school track meet at David Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Students were warming up and stretching, patiently waiting for the competition to resume after a paused due to heavy rain.
Spectators and some students took cover under a tent in the bleachers of Memorial High School.
The atmosphere was calm and uneventful – until it suddenly turned to bloodshed.
In a matter of seconds, then-17-year-old Karmelo Anthony fatally stabbed 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, transforming a rain delay into a crime scene.
On Monday, the Daily Mail became one of only two news organizations granted access to surveillance footage of the deadly incident – a killing that shocked the nation and ignited debates about race, privilege and the criminal justice system.
The 40-minute surveillance video, recorded from a stationary camera on the opposite side of the football field, captures the 10 minutes leading up to the attack and the desperate efforts by Metcalf’s twin brother and others to save his life before paramedics arrived.
Metcalf, a student at Memorial High School, was stabbed after confronting Anthony, who attended Centennial High School, about sitting under the tent of a team he was not affiliated with, according to police and statements made by Metcalf’s father after the killing.
Anthony has admitted to the stabbing but maintains he acted in self-defense, claiming ‘the truth will come out.’
Initially, Frisco police said an altercation between the teens led to the violent encounter.
However, the footage reviewed by the Daily Mail at the Frisco Independent School District’s headquarters shows no obvious physical confrontation between the two prior to the stabbing.
The Daily Mail did not detect anything that indicated chaos was about to ensue.
Strict guidelines were enforced for viewing the footage: reporters were only permitted to take handwritten notes and were barred from capturing or republishing stills or clips.
The district allowed the limited release because the students’ identities are not easily discernible in the video.
Captured by a high-angle camera positioned near the press box and typically used for football broadcasts, the footage shows the tent at the top left of the screen.
Students are seen sitting idly beneath it, waiting for the competition to start.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, it becomes apparent that the moment has happened when an armed Anthony attacked Metcalf.
The stabbing itself is not visible on camera, but the reaction is immediate: students are seen fleeing from under the tent.
While police later confirmed Anthony fled the scene, he cannot be clearly identified in the footage.
Moments later, at least two people can be seen carrying an injured Metcalf down the bleachers to a walkway at the bottom of the seating area.
More individuals, including some adults, are seen rushing to his side to help.
As rain begins to fall again, Metcalf is visibly cradled in the arms of his twin brother, Hunter, bleeding heavily as they await emergency medical services.
Metcalf’s father recounted how his sons were together in a press interview after the attack.
It took 10 minutes for the ambulance to arrive after the stabbing.
Paramedics are seen entering a gate near the end zone and driving to the 50-yard line.
As they took the stretcher out of the back of the vehicle, they seemed to realize that they needed to take another route to reach the gravely wounded Metcalf.
So they walked back toward the end zone and through another entrance to the bleachers.
The medics eventually reached Metcalf, however any treatment administered is obscured by the ambulance.
Police are also seen covering the area near the tent with a blue tarp, presumably to preserve evidence in the pouring rain.
Representatives from Frisco Police Department didn’t immediately reply to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
The ambulance, with Metcalf inside, did not leave the stadium until 10:27 a.m. – nearly half an hour after the stabbing.
He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Police can be seen investigating under the tent in the final few minutes of the video before it ends.
While other video angles may exist, the surveillance reviewed appears to challenge the self-defense claim, offering little visible evidence that Anthony was in immediate danger before the attack.
Anthony’s attorney Mike Brown, did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
Though he was 17 at the time, Anthony is being charged as an adult with first-degree murder.
He has since turned 18 and was permitted to graduate despite the charges against him.
Anthony remains under house arrest at a secret location after persuading a judge that his safety was at risk following threats he received while living in a gated community.
He spent nearly two weeks in jail before a judge agreed to reduce his bond, allowing him to await trial under house arrest.
However, the murder suspect enjoys a significant amount of support across the country. Online donations for Anthony have surpassed $535,000, which his family says will be used for his legal defense as well as daily expenses.
A GoFundMe for Metcalf has raised slightly more at $560,000.
Anthony is currently awaiting formal indictment by a Collin County grand jury.
Representatives for Frisco ISD and the local police have not replied to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.