Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed last weekend that he would pardon a US Army sergeant following a shooting during a Black Lives Matter rally.
On Saturday, governor Abbott promised that he would pardon the US Army sergeant who was convicted after he shot and killed a protester during the aforementioned rally.
According to the Republican governor, 35-year old Sgt. Daniel Perry was only acting in his own defense when the shooting took place.
Reports revealed that Perry repeatedly fired his handgun on 28-year-old Garrett Foster as he marched in the July 25, 2020 Austin demonstration.
“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Abbott declared in a statement.
On Friday, the governor released a striking statement, blaming the conviction on the county’s George Soros-backed Democrat District Attorney José Garza and also promised to reign in “rogue District Attorneys.”
In a response he made on Twitter, Abbot claimed that he “strongly supports” a theory that Garza “intentionally misled the Grand Jury” all throughout the trial.
The Republican governor also claimed that he would request that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles “expedite” a review of Perry’s case.
He then recommended a pardon, a power that the state constitution limits him from making.
“I look forward to approving the Board’s pardon recommendation as soon as it hits my desk,” Abbott said.
In a report published by New York Post, it was revealed that “in the nearly three years since the shooting, Perry has claimed he fired at Foster only after the protester pointed an AK-47 into his car. Perry — who was stationed at Fort Hood, about 70 miles north of Austin — had run into the rally during his shift as a rideshare driver and became enraged when protesters started beating his car.”
During the trial, Perry’s counsels argued that Foster — “who was wearing a neoprene vest under his T-shirt and carrying an AK-47, a club and a knife — raised his gun first, prompting Perry to fire his handgun in self-defense,” the report added.
“I visited Daniel in jail this morning. As you might expect, he is devastated. He spoke to me about his fears that he will never get to hug his Mother again. He’s also crushed that this conviction will end his Army service; he loves being a Soldier,” his lawyer, Doug O’Connell claimed.
“Our entire team is physically & mentally exhausted after the last two weeks of trial. The battle is not over – we will continue to fight for Daniel,” he added.
