Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday said he’s working to pardon a U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of killing a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020, citing the state’s “Stand Your Ground” laws.
“I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry,” the Republican governor wrote on Twitter Saturday afternoon.
On Friday, 37-year-old Army sergeant Daniel Perry was found guilty of fatally shooting Garrett Foster, an Air Force veteran and BLM protester.
Perry’s defense lawyers say he shot Foster in self-defense at a demonstration in downtown Austin, Texas, on July 25, 2020.
Texts from Perry in which he wrote he “might have to kill a few people” who were “rioting” outside his apartment were used in the trial, which began on March 27.
He said he felt threatened after 28-year-old Foster pointed his AK-47 at him, though witnesses said they never saw Foster raise his weapon.
On Saturday, Abbott wrote Texas has one of the nation’s “strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney.”
Noting that, unlike other states, the governor in Texas is only allowed to act on a recommendation from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, Abbott said he had already “made (the pardon) request and instructed the Board to expedite its review.”
Abbott also noted he’s “already prioritized reining in rogue district attorneys,” likely referring to Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
Garza celebrated the verdict on Friday, thanking “our dedicated career prosecutors and victims’ counselors who tried this case ... Our hearts continue to break for the Foster family. We hope this verdict brings closure and peace to the victim’s family.”
Perry could be sentenced as early as Tuesday, according to The Austin American-Statesman.
