Despite the fact that a man was found guilty in a court of law of murdering a Black Lives Matter protester, the governor of Texas announced he is working to pardon the convict.
In fact, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott admitted that he is “working as swiftly as Texas law allows” to obtain Daniel Perry’s freedom after his conviction in an Austin, Texas, court on Friday, April 7, 2023, according to ABC News.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza, however, said he finds the governor’s actions “deeply troubling.”
According to ABC News, Perry, who is an active duty sergeant at Fort Hood in Texas, was reportedly working as a ride-share driver when he rolled up on a crowd of protesters in Austin on that fateful night on July 25, 2020.
Air Force veteran Garrett Foster, 28, was reportedly pushing his fiancé in a wheelchair toward Perry’s vehicle. He was carrying an AK-47 as Texas is an open-carry state. Perry claimed that he feared for his life and shot Foster several times, killing him.
Both the shooter and the victim are White.
In court, Perry’s defense attorney said his client was left with no choice but to fire on the victim since his car was surrounded by protesters.
Prosecutors, however, successfully argued that Perry could have driven away before shooting Foster. Perry was subsequently convicted of murder.
The Texas governor blasted the jury for convicting Perry as well as the district attorney for taking Perry to trial.
“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 said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
Garza blasted the governor, saying, “in a state that believes in upholding the importance of the rule of law, the governor’s statement that he will intervene in the legal proceedings surrounding the death of Garrett Foster is deeply troubling,” he said in a statement according to ABC.
