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Earlier this month, Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murder in connection with the death of fellow Texas teen Austin Metcalf.
The verdict was a controversial one, with defenders of Anthony — who is Black — claiming that he was the victim of a racist criminal justice system.
Now, a disturbing new social media trend seems to show users venting their frustration by mocking Metcalf’s death.
As TMZ reports, TikTok creators have been posting videos in which they dance to a rap song called “Austin Bop.”
The dance seems to consist of a stabbing motion, and according to one news report, the song used includes lyrics “about Metcalf’s death.”
The TMZ report confirms that the song used in the video “includes lyrics referencing the stabbing and Metcalf’s death.
The outlet reports that there is a second version of the song that “takes aim at Austin’s twin brother, Hunter Metcalf, who was with him in the aftermath of the attack.”
The trend has left the social media world sharply divided, with many attacking it as monstrously cruel and others defending it on the grounds of free speech rights.
“If y’all can laugh about calling Michelle Obama a man, we can laugh about this,” one user commented on a video exploring the trend.
Others insisted that this is a case of the media attempting to create controversy for clicks:
“It has nothing to do with Austin,” wrote one commenter.
Anthony has been sentenced to 35 years in prison in connection with Metcalf’s stabbing death.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has created a social media controversy of his own with a video in which he bashed the entire Anthony family, at one point referring to Anthony as a “watermelon felon.”
The racist video rightly sparked outrage, but the Metcalf family still has a large group of supporters, including Rep. Randy Fine, who has called for the death penalty for Anthony.
The Metcalf family has not responded to reports about the TikTok trend allegedly inspired by their son’s death.
We will have further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.