The family of Karmelo Anthony, the teenager who was charged with the murder of one of his peers, believes he’s innocent.

The high schooler is planning on claiming self-defense after he was accused of fatally stabbing 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a track meet.

Karmelo Anthony’s family supports his innocence

“I believe the Anthony family feels that, yes, Karmelo Anthony is innocent of this, and they are going to support Karmelo Anthony in this entire process and get him prepared,” Dominique Alexander, a representative for the family, told NewsNation in an interview.

Anthony was arrested on the scene. He admitted to the crime and claimed self-defense during his arrest. The stabbing occurred after both him and Metcalf were allegedly involved in an altercation. 

The teenager was released from detention and placed on house arrest after his bond was reduced from $1 million to $250,000 by a judge. Anthony’s family started a support fund that has raised over $500,000, according to the news outlet.

“This fund was created to support their family, to help them relocate, to pay for legal expenses, and I could tell you those funds are being used properly,” Alexander said. 

Karmelo Anthony still plans on claiming self-defense 

“Any loss of life is a tragedy,” Alexander said. “Any child that loses his life is a tragedy, no matter the circumstance.”

The representative for the family added that Anthony’s self-defense claim should be taken seriously. He likened the situation to the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, a teenager who killed two people and injured another at a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest and who was acquitted after pleading self-defense.

“Whatever uproar it wants to create, Kyle Rittenhouse displayed, this was self-defense. And all my correlation is, is that if Kyle Rittenhouse said self-defense, Karmelo Anthony has the rights to self-defense,” Alexander said.