Texas Governor Greg Abbott has decided to forgive a former US Army soldier who was convicted of shooting and killing someone during a protest in 2020. The protest was against police brutality and racism.
Abbott said Daniel Perry will be pardoned and allowed to have his guns back. This came after the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recommended it unanimously.
Perry was in prison for 25 years after being convicted of killing Garrett Foster in 2023. He was let out of prison shortly after receiving a pardon.
Perry, who is white, was driving for a ride-share company when his car came near a protest in Austin. The lawyers said he could have left the argument with Foster, who was a white Air Force veteran and didn’t use his gun according to witnesses.
A group of people found Perry guilty of killing someone, but Abbott said Perry was just protecting himself.
“Texas has a very strong law that allows people to defend themselves called ‘Stand Your Ground. ‘ It can’t be canceled by a jury or district attorney who has progressive beliefs,” Abbott mentioned.
Abbott, who is a Republican in his third term, usually only forgives small crimes. He chose not to forgive George Floyd for a drug arrest in 2004 after Floyd’s death. The killing of Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 led to protests across the country.
Abbott told the board to look over Perry’s case after the trial. He said he would pardon Perry if the board recommended it. Under Texas law, the governor can’t forgive someone for a crime unless the board, who the governor chooses, suggests it.
Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza criticized the pardon, saying it makes a joke of our legal system.
“Garza said that the board and the governor are more focused on politics than justice. ” “They should feel bad about what they did. ” They are breaking the law and showing that in this state, some people are treated better than others.
Abbott asked for a new look at Perry’s case because Tucker Carlson asked him to on TV. Carlson wanted the governor to help after the sergeant was found guilty in April 2023. Perry was given a punishment because prosecutors said he was racist and might hurt someone again, based on what he posted on social media and sent in text messages.
The sergeant’s lawyers said that Foster did lift the rifle and Perry had to shoot him. Perry didn’t speak in court and the jury took two days to decide that he was guilty.
Perry’s lawyer, Clint Broden, said Perry was only protecting himself when he was facing a group of angry people and someone with a dangerous gun.
Broden said that the events in the case were very sad and unfortunately, Garrett Foster died. “Mister Perry and his family are thankful to the Board of Pardons and Parole for looking at their case carefully. They are also grateful that the State of Texas has laws to let people defend themselves. ”
Foster’s girlfriend, Whitney Mitchell, was with him when he was killed. She called the pardon a “lawless” act.
The governor has disrespected the life of a murdered Texan and US Air Force veteran and questioned the jury’s fair decision by granting a pardon. Mitchell said that he declared that people in Texas who have different political views from him and those in power can be killed without any consequences.
The shooting caused a lot of arguing in 2020 during the protests after Floyd’s death. Three years later, Perry’s conviction made a lot of conservative people very angry.
Before the judge made a decision in the case, Carlson talked on TV about the shooting. He said it was self-defence and he also said some bad things about Abbott for not going on his show. The day after, Abbott said he thought Perry should not be punished and asked Texas’ parole board to quickly review the conviction.
Before Perry was punished by the court, it revealed many text messages and social media posts showing his unfriendly views towards Black Lives Matter protests. Perry made a comment on Facebook a month before the shooting. He said, “I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo. ”
Perry was in the Army for over ten years. During the trial, a psychologist said he thinks Perry has post-traumatic stress disorder because of his time in Afghanistan and being bullied as a kid. During the shooting, Perry was working at Fort Cavazos, which later became Fort Hood. It is about 70 miles north of Austin.