Female attackers yelled ‘free Karmelo’ according to alleged assault victim; 3 suspects arrested

The alleged victim of a recent physical attack outside a Texas bar said her assailants yelled “free Karmelo” — and now three females face assault charges, the Dallas Express reported.

The alleged “free Karmelo” exclamation presumably was in reference to Karmelo Anthony, a black male who earlier this month was sentenced to 35 years in prison for murdering Austin Metcalf, a white male, at a high school track meet in April 2025.

‘Any credible threat, any attempt to organize violence, and any effort to intimidate members of the community will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately.’

Ciarrianne Fuller, 21, and Alana Mumphrey, 25 — both of Longview — and Dejae Shalyn Brown, 26, of Pittsburg, were listed in Gregg County Jail records on warrants for assault causing bodily injury, the Express said.

Fuller was arrested Tuesday, the Longview News-Journal reported, adding that Brown and Mumphrey surrendered to law enforcement and were booked into jail Thursday afternoon; all three were released on $20,000 bonds.

The Express said a woman publicly identified on social media as Sammie Lee alleged that several females attacked her after leaving Whiskey J’s in Longview during the overnight hours of June 20 into June 21.

According to the Express, Lee alleged in her public post that the females shouted “free Karmelo” and said they planned to target “the smallest white girl they could find.”

Lee said she had not interacted with the three females prior to the assault, the News-Journal reported, adding that Lee posted photos on social media showing her injuries.

The Express said it asked the Longview Police Department for additional comment and clarification regarding if investigators have confirmed Lee’s allegation that the suspects yelled “free Karmelo” — or if they’ve uncovered any motive for the alleged assault — but the paper said it didn’t immediately receive a response from police.

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Longview Police Department spokesperson LaDarian Brown did say police are in communication with the FBI about the case because of online conversations “concerning retaliation, division, and attacks between members of our community,” the News-Journal reported.

“Any credible threat, any attempt to organize violence, and any effort to intimidate members of the community will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately,” Brown added, according to the News-Journal.

Racial tensions have surrounded the Karmelo Anthony case since its beginnings more than a year ago:

• Shortly after Metcalf’s stabbing death, Anthony supporters went viral on social media, with one declaring that “Austin Metcalf got exactly what he deserved — point blank, period.”
• A high-profile Anthony spokesman reacted to Anthony’s indictment last year by calling for a fight against “white supremacy” and blasting “bigots” and “racists.”
• At the start of Anthony’s murder trial early this month, the prosecution dismissed all prospective black jurors — and one of the prospective black jurors acknowledged he’d have a “hard time putting a brother in jail.”
• After Anthony’s murder conviction, Democrat U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas threw shade at the Metcalf family, saying that “black women, especially black women who have black male children, live in fear and agony every single day — a fear and agony that, I promise you, the Metcalfs probably never spend a day living that way.”
• In addition, a white-hating agitator claiming Anthony was “legally lynched” is a criminal, disgraced ex-judge.

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