OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 5:26 PM – Tuesday, April 11, 2023
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has stated that he wants United States Army Sergeant Daniel Perry to be granted a pardon. This comes one day after a jury found Perry guilty of murder for shooting and killing Garrett Foster during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in 2020.
According to board spokesperson Rachel Alderete on Monday, “the board will be commencing that investigation immediately” and it will report to the governor with recommendations when it’s done. The board did not immediately clarify how long the inquiry would take or whether an appeal process is required ahead of a recommendation.
Garrett Foster was fatally shot at a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas, in 2021 by Daniel Perry, a White Army sergeant and ride-share driver. Foster was also a White man. Perry was charged for his actions during the protest with dangerous conduct and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Foster approached Perry’s automobile with an assault rifle, according to Perry’s argument, and Perry fired in self-defense. Perry claimed that he had dropped off a client close to the protest and was unaware that it was going on because George Floyd, a Black man, had died in detention the day before. According to his attorneys, he kept a weapon in his vehicle for protection while operating a vehicle.
On Friday, a Travis County jury found 35-year-old Perry guilty of murder. The county prosecutor’s office is still investigating the deadly conduct charge even though the jury found him not guilty of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon.
On Saturday afternoon, Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) tweeted that he was “working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry.” He explained that Texas law allows the governor to ask the state’s pardon board to decide whether a pardon should be granted and that he had “made that request and instructed the Board to expedite its review.”
The “Stand Your Ground” statute in Texas, which Abbott referred to as “one of the strongest” in the nation, was another topic of discussion. These rules typically allow people to react to threats or force without worrying about facing legal repercussions in any location where they have the right to be.
The prosecution claimed that Perry had started the confrontation by running a red light to turn into the demonstrators opposing police brutality and had previously posted on social media about shooting protestors.
The Texas Legislative Black Caucus has released a statement on Twitter their opposition to the governor’s decision.
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