Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Saturday that he is seeking a pardon for an Army sergeant who was convicted of murder for fatally shooting an armed Black Lives Matter protester.
Sgt. Daniel Perry was convicted on Friday for the July 2020 killing of 28-year-old Garrett Foster at a Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas.
“I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry,” Abbott tweeted on Saturday.
“Texas has one of the toughest ‘Stand Your Ground’ self-defense laws in the country, which cannot be overturned by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” he said.
The Texas governor said he has requested that the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles review Perry’s case on an expedited timeline, noting that his pardon authority is limited by the board’s recommendations.
“I look forward to approving the Board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk,” Abbott added.
Perry, who was working for a ride-sharing firm then, came upon demonstrators after turning down a downtown Austin street. The Black Lives Matter protest, one of many taking place around the country at the time, arose in the aftermath of the May 2020 killing of a Black man, George Floyd, by a white Minneapolis police officer.
According to reports, the Army sergeant pulled over and honked at the demonstrators before ramming his car into the throng. Foster approached Perry’s car while carrying an AK-47 weapon.
Perry shot and killed Foster, claiming he fired in self-defense after the other man raised his gun. However, witnesses testified that Foster never raised his rifle, and prosecutors argued that Perry could have driven away rather than shooting.
