An activist group supporting Karmelo Anthony, who is accused of murdering fellow teenager Austin Metcalf at a Texas track meet, posted a bizarre POV-style video on social media showing their security team escorting the alleged killer from jail after he made bond.
In the clip posted by the Next Generation Action Network [NGAN], a member of the organization’s security team shakes the teen’s hand and tells him to “get behind us” and “just stay close” as they walk past the media while leaving the Collin County Jail.
One female reporter shoves a microphone in Anthony’s face and asks if he has anything he’d like to say to the Metcalf family and why he was armed that day, calling him “sweatheart.”
Anthony stays mum as they continue to the vehicle, where the security team ushers him into the backseat, the video shows.
The video sparked outrage online for appearing to treat Anthony like a “celebrity” after it was revealed that his family was living in a ritzy gated community and had recently purchased a new car.
“This is sickening, he is not a hero,” one X user wrote in response to the clip.
“It’s the Mangione effect. Everyone has been primed and they are setting up another side show,” another wrote, referring to alleged UnitedHealth CEO killer Luigi Mangione.
“He’s not a sweetheart. He’s a murderer,” another posted.
NGAN said in the post it has always had its own internal security team “who step up to protect and serve families in moments of crisis.
“What you witnessed yesterday was not new to us,” the post continued. “It was simply a reflection of the critical, consistent work we’ve been doing for over a decade.”
“This is what Team NGAN looks like. This is what people-powered justice looks like,” the group added.
