Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moving to quickly pardon Army sergeant convicted of murder in clear case of self-defense

 On Friday, U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Perry was found guilty of killing a protester during a Black Lives Matter rally in Texas in 2020, but if Gov. Greg Abbott has his way, Perry will never serve his time behind bars.

Perry, who had served in Afghanistan, argued that he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed 28-year-old Garrett Foster during a demonstration in Austin. He noted that Foster, who was carrying an AK-47, pointed the rifle at Perry, who was driving an Uber for extra money that night, and quickly responded with his legally carried handgun. However, a jury in far-left Austin concluded that Perry was responsible for Foster’s death after two days of deliberation.

“We’re happy with the verdict. We’re very sorry for his family as well. There’s no winners in this,” Stephen Foster, the victim’s father, said.

It needs to be said that, shortly after the incident, Austin Police concluded that yes, Perry had acted in self-defense and did not arrest him. But a left-wing George Soros-backed district decided to prosecute anyway.

“Multiple police officers spoke to Foster, warning him that he was menacing innocent civilians. Detectives concluded Daniel Perry acted in self-defense. That should have been the end of the case,” conservative documentarian Mike Cernovich noted in a column posted to his Substack.

“Travis County DA Jose Garza was elected to represent Austin Texas due to funding by George Soros. Garza’s behavior was so irregulate that it prompted a report by law enforcement that accused Garza of tampering with a grand jury,” he added.

But again, none of this may matter in the end. Abbott declared on Saturday that he would use his authority to pardon Perry as much as allowed under state law, Conservative Brief reported.

“I am working as swiftly as Texas law allows regarding the pardon of Sgt. Perry,” Abbott said in an announcement.

Fox News noted that Abbott said in his tweet that pardons in Texas must be recommended by the Board of Pardons and Paroles. “I have made that request and instructed the board to expedite its review,” the governor said, adding that he looks forward to signing the pardon if it makes it to his desk.

On July 25, 2020, while he was driving for Uber in downtown Austin, Perry encountered a large group of protesters who were illegally blocking city streets. According to the police, the protests that night were part of the weeks-long rioting in Austin and elsewhere. Perry’s defense team argued that the protesters encircled his vehicle and started hitting it, with Garrett Foster, who was carrying a semi-automatic rifle, among them. Perry’s team claimed that Foster raised the firearm at Perry, forcing him to use his legally carried handgun in self-defense and shoot Foster.

“When Garrett Foster pointed his AK-47 at Daniel Perry, Daniel had two-tenths of a second to defend himself. He chose to live,” Doug O’Connell, an attorney for Perry, told Fox News Digital last year in a statement.

“It may be legal in Texas to carry an assault rifle in downtown Austin. It doesn’t make it a good idea. If you point a firearm at someone, you’re responsible for everything that happens next,” he added.

Abbott noted that Texas has some of the strongest “stand your ground” laws in the country, and they “cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney.”